Alleged Kildare armed robbery pair stay in custody

Two men charged in connection with an alleged armed robbery at a County Kildare service appeared in Naas District Court by video link on March 16.

Paul Reilly, 41, whose address was given as 13 Deansrath Road, Clondalkin, is being prosecuted for the theft of €1,363 in cash and cigarettes valued at €450 on January 15 at the John Horan Maxol service station, Main Street, Castledermot.

Jamie Kinsella, 27, whose address was given as 12 St Ronan’s Park, Clondalkin, is also being prosecuted in relation to the theft of cash and cigarettes as well as dangerous driving and criminal damage near the Circle K filling station on the M9 northbound, near Kilcullen, on the same date.

The pair were denied bail at a previous hearing when Sgt Brian Jacob said it would be claimed one of the defendants had a hammer and the other a firearm.

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And while it has not been established whether the firearm was an imitation, “an imitation firearm is a firearm.”

He stated that people working behind the counter had been threatened with a hammer and a second hammer was found in a vehicle.

An application for the cases to be heard at the next court sitting were made by defending barrister Aisling Murphy.

She said she had made a previous application and the pair had been in custody since January.

Ms Murphy said that a ballistics report had been obtained but but there was “little other progress.”

Sgt Brian Jacob said that the file had only gone to the Director of Public Prosecutions two days previously and among the issues to be decided is whether the case will be heard at a special court.

“We’ve made significant progress,” he said, adding that directions will be available in four weeks.

Judge Desmond Zaidan said it would be wrong of him to mark the case peremptory given the complexity of the case and that it requires serious investigation.

He added that it would have to be impressed on the DPP’s office that both men are in custody and  the case should get some degree of priority for this reason. It was adjourned to March 23.