A man who handed a post office worker a note saying he was wearing a bomb will be sentenced later at Dublin Central Criminal Court.
James Bennett (22) of Clanbrassil Street, Dublin had pleaded guilty to attempted robbery at Leonard’s Corner Post office on October 17, 2013.
Garda Rory Heffernan told the court that Bennett approached the counter of the post office where two women were working at about 11.30, put a note under the hatch and then took out a pellet gun. The note said “I have a bomb strapped to my body”.
The two workers immediately ran into the back office and then Bennett left. Gardai identified Bennett from CCTV and arrested him shortly afterwards on Clanbrassil Street. His pellet gun was found in a nearby bin.
In a victim impact statement, post office worker Geraldine Smith said that the incident was “on the lower end of the scale” that she had experienced and that she “felt kind of sorry for the chap”.
Judge Mary Ellen Ring said of Ms Smith that it is “unfortunate that she needs to have a scale” of seriousness for robberies.
Gda Heffernan agreed with Ronan Kennedy BL, defending, that Bennett made full admissions when questioned, that “he had some intention to try and improve his lot”, and that the crime was “amateurish”.
Mr Kennedy told Judge Ring that Bennett and his girlfriend were being kicked out of their apartment at the time and that Bennett was desperate to get money to pay for a deposit.
The judge remanded Bennett on continuing bail until June 22, next
