Raider held former colleague hostage at gunpoint

Date Published: 18-Dec-2009

A former colleague robbed staff at the Clayton Hotel at gun and knifepoint, cycling away with €1,700 cash which he desperately needed to pay off his debts and child maintenance arrears.

Former night porter, David Vallot, a native of Limerick with an address at 66 Altan Apartments, Western Distributor Road, was wearing a balaclava and combat jacket and was carrying an imitation revolver and large Rambo-style knife when he cycled to the hotel in Briarhill and gained access via a rear storeroom where he disabled the fuse box, plunging the ground floor area into darkness at around 4.30am on February 13 last.

Three of his former colleagues who were on duty that morning recognised Vallot by his voice and also by his eyes, even though he was wearing a balaclava.

Vallot pleaded guilty at Galway Circuit Criminal Court to robbing manager, FrankDoherty of €1,768. He also pleaded guilty to falsely imprisoning Mr Doherty along with two other members of staff and to having an imitation hand gun and a knife in his possession with intent to commit a robbery on the same date.

Detective Garda John Moloney told the court that Vallot arrived at the hotel at 2.30am but it took him two hours to build up the courage to carry out the robbery.Martin McKenna and Frank Doherty were in reception when the lights went out Vallot jumped out and got Mr McKenna to kneel on the ground at gunpoint when he went to check the fuse box in the storeroom.

He tied his hands behind his backwith tape and used him as a hostage telling him they would go to reception to get the keys to the safe room.

Mr Doherty was becoming concerned about McKenna and he met Anne Steele on her way into work that morning and told her about the lights going out. They heard noise coming from the safe room and found Mr McKenna being held as a hostage by Vallot.

Mr McKenna told Mr Doherty to do exactly as Vallot told him. The victim later told Gardaí he would feel Vallot was “shaking like a leaf” as he held him at gunpoint and he feared for his life.

Mr Doherty got the keys to the safe and all three staff were told to go to the safe room. They opened the safe and put the money in a black plastic bag for Vallot. Both Mr Doherty and Ms Steele were told to throw their mobile phones out of the office and Vallot then locked them in the office.

He brought Mr McKenna to the basement and told him to stay there until he was gone and not call the Gardaí. Vallot then cycled as fast as he could to Carnmore Cross, turning left for Claregalway before doubling back to the city via the Corinthians rugby grounds where he hid the balaclava, gun, knife and jacket along with over €200 in coins taken in the robbery under palm trees.

Gardaí were soon alerted and staff told them they thought Vallot was involved because they recognised his voice and eyes. Vallot admitted Gardaí to his apartment a short time later and admitted his guilt. He handed over €1,500 which he had hidden in his bedroom and told them about his hiding place under palm trees at the rugby grounds.

Det Moloney said Vallot had worked as a night porter at the Clayton up to a few months previously but had been let go. Vallot, he said, had written letters of apology to all three staff members and they accepted his apology to a point, but all were very shaken by the experience and were still very wary and edgy in their workplace.

The detective said Vallot had not realised the seriousness of his crime until it was explained to him during interview at the Garda station. “The realisation of being arrested and charged brought it home to him just how serious this was,” he said.

Judge Raymond Groarke said he accepted Vallot had acted out of desperation but that was no excuse for him go armed with weapons and a balaclava to the hotel and terrorise his former colleagues. This, he said,was an armed robbery and he had a term of four years in prison in mind.

“The robbery was a shambles and he didn’t know how serious his crime was until sitting in the Garda station and then the ‘penny dropped’. One has to wonder at the naivety and casual stupidity rather than the criminal evil of the man,” the judge said before remanding Vallot in custody to April 29 next year to finalise the sentence.