Courts

Man who said he was wearing a bomb in post office avoids jail

James Bennett pleads guilty to attempted robbery and receives suspended sentence

Garda Rory Heffernan told the court James Bennett approached the counter of the post office where two women were working at about 11.30am, put a note under the hatch and then took out a pellet gun. The note said “I have a bomb strapped to my body”. File photograph: Bryan O’Brien/The Irish Times

Mon Jun 22 2015 - 17:25

A man who handed a post office worker a note saying he was wearing a bomb has avoided a jail term at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.

James Bennett (22) of Clanbrassil Street, Dublin, had pleaded guilty to attempted robbery at Leonard’s Corner post office on October 17th, 2013.

Garda Rory Heffernan told Gerardine Small, prosecuting, that Bennett approached the counter of the post office where two women were working at about 11.30am, 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 ran into the back office and then Bennett left. Gardaí­ identified him from CCTV and arrested him shortly afterwards on Clanbrassil Street. His pellet gun was found in a nearby bin.

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In a victim impact statement, post office worker Geraldine Smith said the incident was “on the lower end of the scale” that she had experienced and she “felt kind of sorry for the chap”.

Judge Mary Ellen Ring said of Ms Smith it is "unfortunate that she needs to have a scale" of seriousness for robberies.

She acknowledged the “resilience” of the victims and said they were “a credit to An Post” in regard to how they dealt with the incident.

Judge Ring said Bennett had told gardaí­during interview he had been desperate at the time to get money for a home for both him and his girlfriend.

She sentenced him to three years in prison which she suspended in full “in light of his willingness to work [with the Probation Service] and his ability to stay out of trouble”.

Bennett must remain under supervision of the Probation Service for 18 months and keep the peace for three years.

Garda Heffernan agreed with Ronan Kennedy, defending, that Bennett made full admissions when questioned, that “he had some intention to try and improve his lot”, and the crime was “amateurish”.

Mr Kennedy told the judge Bennett and his girlfriend were being kicked out of their apartment at the time and Bennett was desperate to get money to pay for a deposit.

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