Man accused of credit union robbery collected Aaron Brady so they could steal car ‘used in murder’ of Det Gda Adrian Donohoe, court hears

The prosecution today began delivering its closing speeches in the trial of James Flynn and Brendan Treanor who are charged with robbery at Lordship Credit Union near Dundalk in Co Louth, on January 25, 2013.

Det Gda Donohoe was shot dead during the raid and Aaron Brady was convicted of his capital murder in 2020.

Mr Flynn (32), originally from south Armagh and Mr Treanor (34), from Emer Terrace in Dundalk, are also charged with conspiracy to commit burglary between September 2012 and January 2013.

Today Lorcan Staines SC, prosecuting, said that the credit union robbery involved at least five people while others took part in planning and logistics.

The Special Criminal Court was told that spotter cars were "in no doubt also required", on the basis that the timing of the raid was "just too perfect".

The prosecution contends that those involved included "skilled drivers" and that they were a "local gang".

The Volkswagen Passat used in the credit union robbery was stolen during a creeper burglary in Clogherhead, Co Louth, in the early hours of January 23.

Mr Staines took the three judges through phone contact between a number of individuals, including James Flynn and Aaron Brady.

He stated that the last contact between them that night was for Mr Flynn to collect Brady from his girlfriend's house "so they can go to Clogherhead and steal the Volkswagen Passat used in the murder of Detective Garda Donohoe".

Mr Staines also told the court that Mr Treanor and Mr Flynn were involved in a "scoping exercise" on the afternoon of the robbery when they drove by the credit union at 1.45pm.

The barrister said that a similar exercise was carried out at a filling station at 8.58pm the night before the credit union raid.

Mr Staines said this premises was closed but that Mr Flynn and Aaron Brady chose to go there as it gave them a "very good viewpoint" of the credit union.

They also did so at that time in order to "obtain as much information as they can" relating to the locking up taking place.

The three judges were also told that the raiders were all technologically aware and used walkie talkies when carrying out the raid.

The phones of Brady, Treanor and Flynn, as well as three other men not before the court, were all silent before, during and after the robbery.

Mr Staines also said this has to be viewed in the context of who they were ringing before and after the robbery, and what they were doing on that day and the following day.

There was, he said, an abundance of evidence that puts the two accused together with Aaron Brady at the time and up to the committal of the robbery, which is further bolstered by phone evidence.

Mr Staines said that any gang planning a raid would have known that Lordship Credit Union was a "good target".

It had previously been robbed in August 2011, during which over €22,500 in cash was stolen in a raid that lasted just 17 seconds.

It was a robbery that Mr Flynn "must have known about" because he lived just a stone’s throw away from the premises.

The prosecution will continue delivering its closing speech tomorrow.

Earlier the court heard that there was mobile phone traffic, cell site analysis, CCTV footage and stolen items recovered to support the prosecution contention that both defendants were involved in creeper burglaries between 2012 and 2013.

Mr Staines said that documents taken from a burglary in Cavan were later recovered partly burnt in a property being rented by Aaron Brady.

A sat-nav device stolen from another burglary in Mullingar was later found in the possession of James Flynn's father.

This, the court said, showed it had travelled to and from his house.