AN alleged prison van escaper, Thomas "Bomber" Clarke, has been jailed for 12 years for three armed robberies and other offences committed in 1993.
Clarke (28), expects to face a further charge of escaping from custody but he will be denying that offence, defence counsel Mr Luigi Rea told Judge Cyril Kelly in Dublin Circuit Criminal Court yesterday.
On April 24th this year an armed gang intercepted and rammed a prison van on the Naas Road which was bringing Clarke from Portlaoise prison to a Dublin court. At the time of the incident, Clarke was serving two concurrent five year robbery terms.
Det Sgt Thomas McCarrick said Clarke has previously absconded from Britain where he had been serving three concurrent nine year terms imposed in October and December, 1993, by Leeds Crown Court for robberies committed there.
Clarke had absconded to England earlier in 1993 while books of evidence were being prepared for the offences before the court, the detective said.
Judge Kelly imposed a total of four 12 year terms of imprisonment, one term of six years and one term of three years on Clarke. All sentences run concurrently.
Last month, Clarke, a father of two, from Keeper Road in Dublin, was extradited from Amsterdam where he had been in custody since his arrest by Dutch police on June 4th, 1996.
Since his return, Clarke has pleaded guilty to robbing £3,950 from the Bank of Ireland, Ballsbridge, using a stolen car on May 19th, 1993, and the robbery of £4,465 - from the Blanchardstown branch of the First National Building Society (FNBS) on September 21st, 1993.
He has also pleaded guilty to robbery of £9,000 cash and £16,500 worth of travellers' cheques on June 3rd, 1993, at the Drumcondra Road branch of the FNBS, attempted robbery at the same FNBS branch on June 11th, 1993, and larceny of a £50 bicycle on the same date.
Det Sgt McCarrick said on June 3rd, 1993, staff at the FNBS in Drumcondra were closing up when Clarke and another man with a screwdriver forced their way in and stole travellers' cheques.
A week later, FNBS staff member Ms Fiona Robinson was working in the branch when she was again confronted by Clarke and another man. They threatened to shoot her but Clarke ran off when her screams brought a number of people to her aid.
His accomplice was arrested and received a five year sentence. The "gun" used was found to be two barrels taped together in a plastic bag.
Clarke escaped on a bicycle he took from a youth on his way to sit a Leaving Cert exam. Ms Robinson was traumatised by the two raids in one week, the detective told prosecution counsel Mr Fergal Foley.
Det Sgt Felix Lunny and Del Sgt Andy O'Rourke gave evidence to prosecutor Mr Roger Sweetman of the other offences.
Judge Kelly agreed with Ms Rachel Fehily, who appeared for Clarke on one bill of indictment that her client had come from a respectable family but had become a drug addict.