Raider dies as getaway car crashes

A raider who made off with £250 from a post office in Co Wexford yesterday was killed minutes later as he attempted to make his getaway.

The man, who was aged 30 and from Dublin, died instantly when the stolen BMW he was driving overturned at a bend about 1 1/2 miles from Ballgarret post office near Courtown. The Garda said he was not being pursued.

The man had earlier entered the post office armed with an imitation handgun and threatened the postmaster, Mr John Wafer, and two female customers. Mr Wafer said later he noticed there was "something unusual" about the man when he pulled up outside the post office at around 11 a.m.

"He was wearing a fleece jumper and a grey cap and my first thought was, `what's he doing wearing those in this weather?' "

Mr Wafer then saw that the man also wore a stocking mask. He pointed the gun at Mr Wafer and demanded that he open the safe. "I said I couldn't open the safe because of the time locks but he kept shouting and looking for money," Mr Wafer said.

The postmaster opened a till and handed the raider a large number of £5 notes. The man also demanded pound coins before pointing his gun at the two women, one of whom said she didn't have her purse with her.

"The other woman took out her purse and I thought he would grab it but he waited while she took out about £30. He was cool as a cucumber. He just took another look at the till and then walked out."

The two women are regular holidaymakers in the area and are aged about 60. Mr Wafer said they were "very cool and calm" and one of them got the registration number of the car. A Garda spokesman said the BMW had been reported stolen earlier in Castleknock, Dublin. The raider, who was not being named until relatives had been informed, was from the Dublin 7 area.

Mr Wafer said there were a lot of burglaries in the area but it was the first time he had been confronted by an armed robber. A local Garda spokesman said the man had not come to their attention previously.