Jewellery worth €1.1m hidden under bush, trial hears
Two hold-all bags, containing over €1.1 million worth of diamond rings and Rolex watches, were discovered under a bush on the banks of Lough Atalia in Galway City shortly after an armed robbery had taken place in a city centre jewellers, a trial in Galway heard today.
Members of the public assisted Gardai in catching two of four men arrested shortly before midday on February 11, 2015, in connection with a robbery which had taken place a short time earlier at Hartmann Jewellers in the heart of the city.
One of the four men, Irmantas Paulauskas (38), pleaded not guilty before Galway Circuit Criminal Court today to the robbery of diamond rings and Rolex watches from Richard Hartmann, 29 William Street.
He also denied a second charge of having a imitation pistol with a silencer fitted, in his possession with intent to commit robbery on the same date.
Prosecuting barrister, Conor Fahy BL, told the jury of eleven men and one woman that Mr Hartmann was in his office upstairs at 10.42a.m., viewing the CCTV cameras when he saw men, wearing dark clothing, gloves and with their faces partially covered, enter the shop downstairs. He heard a loud bang and immediately dialled 999, alerting Gardai at Galway Garda Station to the robbery in progress.
Garda street cameras were trained on the front of the premises and the men were observed exiting the building 90 seconds later.
They were carrying two hold-all bags, which contained 16 trays of diamond rings – with each tray holding 13 rings – along with 32 Rolex watches, all worth €1.139,653.
Passers-by noticed the men, walking quickly in single, military-style formation down Shop Street.
Garda cameras tracked the men as they turned left onto Abbeygate Street, heading towards Middle Street.
Det. Sgt. John McElroy and Det. Gerry Carroll, who happened to be in the area, gave chase.
Two members of the public helped both Gardai restrain two of the suspects at Middle Street, following a violent struggle.
Mr Fahy told the jury that one of the two men caught at Middle Street was the accused, and he advised jurors they need not be concerned with the other three men.
He said members of the public saw the men walk in military-style formation and some people tracked them into Abbeygate Street and onto Middle Street, where two of them were apprehended.
The other two men were arrested, he said, at 11.30a.m. at the bus station at Fairgreen Road as they waited to catch a bus to Dublin.
A lump hammer and one of two imitation guns used during the robbery, were found on the shop floor by Gardai afterwards, Mr Fahy said.
The second imitation firearm was found on the other man caught in Middle Street with the accused, he added.
The accused, Mr Fahy said, was wearing glasses and these glasses were found at Middle Street later on.
Gardai searched the area along Fairgreen Road, past the bus station, and found the two hold-alls concealed under a low bush, near the water’s edge at Lough Atalia, about a mile away on the Dublin road approach to the city.
All of the jewellery, except for one diamond ring, was found in the hold-alls, along with some clothing, believed to have been used during the robbery.
Mr Fahy said a woman found the ring that evening with the €6,550 price tag still on it at Dock Road, and she handed it in to the Garda Station.
The jewellery, he said, was taken from the front window display area of the shop which was near the front door. A lump hammer was used to smash the glass to get to the displays, he added.
Crime Scene Investigator, Sgt. Seamus Philips, told the trial he observed the jewellery in the hold-all bags which were found at Lough Atalia and said one Rolex watch still had its €5,950 price tag on it.
Ballistics expert, Det. Sharon Langan gave evidence she examined both imitation guns and said they were 6mm calibre air pistols, which contained magazines full of white plastic ‘BB’ ball bearings.
“The guns were made to resemble 9mm semiautomatic pistols which are used by police forces and the military,” she explained.
She said that while the guns were imitations, they could be classified as offensive weapons if used to intimidate people in a public place and they could also be classified as real weapons if used to make members of the public believe they were real.
Mr Bernard Madden SC, defending, said nothing to link the accused to this crime was found on any of the items which were forensically examined by Gardai.
The trial continues tomorrow.