Cash-in-transit driver jailed for stealing €30,000

A DRIVER of a cash-in-transit van who stole €30,000 from the company because he was put under pressure from a gang has received a three-year sentence with two suspended.

Damien Carrig (35) told gardaí following his arrest that he had been put “under severe pressure” to steal the cash but that he had been paid €2,500 for taking it.

Carrig, a father of four from Oakpark Drive, Santry, pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to stealing €30,000, the property of Sonoma Valley Limited, a subsidiary company of GSLS, on December 24, 2014, at the Arlington Hotel, Bachelor’s Walk.

His 10 previous convictions include two thefts from 1998 and 1999 and road traffic and public order offences.

Judge Martin Nolan accepted that most of the stolen money went to third parties, but added that he had to impose a custodial sentence as the crime was so serious.

Detective Garda Jason Weir agreed with Nicola Cox BL, defending, that the offence was totally out of character for Carrig and added: “I can only assume he was under duress.”

Ms Cox told Judge Nolan that her client instructed her that he did not wish to be involved in the theft. She said he would not go into any further detail as he was in great fear for himself and his family.

She said he wished to apologise to his former employer for his involvement.

Det Gda Weir told Diarmuid Collins BL, prosecuting, that an accounts person for Dunnes Stores noticed that a cash lodgement for €30,000 hadn’t registered with the company’s account a number of days after it had been collected from one of their stores.

Gardaí were notified and after viewing CCTV footage of the cash being collected, Carrig was nominated as a suspect.

He was arrested on January 28 this year and made admissions, telling gardaí that he had taken the bag from a cash box in the van, hidden it under his jacket and walked into the Arlington Hotel carrying it.

Det Gda Weir confirmed that despite a significant Garda investigation, the cash had never been recovered. The security company later refunded Dunnes Stores.

Det Gda Weir agreed with Ms Cox that it was clear that Carrig was always going to be caught and the offence was unusual.

He accepted that there may have been a third party involvement and agreed that Carrig admitted he was paid €2,500 to take the cash.

Det Gda Weir further accepted that Carrig lost his job with the company but had since secured new employment and had not come to Garda attention.

Sonya McLean