Man (27) flew to Lanzarote after allegedly robbing €90,000 from Kildare shop, court told

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6 hours ago

A father-to-be has been accused of brandishing a hammer at a shop manager in Celbridge, forcing him to open safes and making off with more than €90,000 before fleeing to Lanzarote.
Stephen McMullen (27),
of Rowlagh Gardens, Clondalkin, Dublin,
allegedly posted videos of the cash on Snapchat to friends with details about the raid minutes after it took place on July 17th.
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Bail was set at €3,500 when he appeared before Judge John Brennan at Dublin District Court on Monday following his arrest on Saturday.
He was charged with robbery and production of a hammer as a weapon capable of inflicting serious injury during the incident at Costcutter, Castle Village, Celbridge, Co Kildare.
Garda Jennifer Finnegan objected to bail due to the seriousness of the case, telling Judge Brennan that the incident took place shortly before 5am when two men arrived in a white Ford Transit van, which had been stolen in a burglary in Maynooth.
The manager was opening up at the time when the robbers, one armed with a hammer, allegedly threatened his life and to harm him, and made him open safes in the office. Garda Finnegan told the court that Mr McMullen threatened the manager to dispose of CCTV footage.
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It was claimed that there was video evidence of the accused arriving home in a taxi at 8.28am carrying a Lidl bag. The court heard the money was wrapped in distinctive white bands; the injured party provided samples of them to gardaí, and they were identical to those on the recovered cash.
The money also had identifying features, such as the injured party's writing on notes, when he was counting them, the judge heard.
Searching Mr McMullen's address resulted in the recovery of €27,870, but €63,000 has yet to be recovered. The court heard his phone was also seized and examined with tests establishing it "pinged" on the Old Town Road in Celbridge, 13 minutes after the incident and less than two kilometres from the scene.
Garda Finnegan said a Snapchat account on the phone posted videos of the stolen cash, which has been identified due to the distinctive bands.
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She stated there were also text messages telling his friends that he got more than €90,000 in a robbery where he brought a staff member into an office and forced him to open two safes. The messages allegedly stated he had threatened the staff member with a hammer.
A day later, he flew to Lanzarote and booked a return flight to Belfast on July 27th, but that flight was not taken. On August 8th, he returned via England to attend his brother's funeral, and the garda raised fears about the disposal of the rest of the money, about €63,000.
She also voiced witness interference concerns due to the alleged threats of extreme violence during the incident.
Questioned by defence solicitor Catherine Dolan, the officer agreed that no DNA had been recovered from the cash or the hammer, but she clarified that analysis had to be carried out.
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The garda accepted that the bands on the cash did not have a logo, but added that the injured party's writing was on them.
The defence disputed that the Snapchat account on the phone was linked to Mr McMullen, stressing that he had the presumption of innocence and there was no forensic evidence against him.
His solicitor argued that he was not a flight risk, saying that he had gone on a holiday, and that Mr McMullen stated he had no family members in Lanzarote, which gardaí had believed.
The defence said he had returned because his partner was pregnant and had to go for a check-up.
He made no reply when charged and has yet to indicate a plea.
Judge Brennan set bail in his bond of €500 but stipulated that he needed a €3,000 independent surety to be released under a range of conditions, including the surrender of his passport and a curfew.
He was remanded in custody with consent to bail to appear at Cloverhill District Court later this month, for directions from the Director of Public Prosecutions.
Legal aid was granted.