Ciaran Maxwell

A Royal Marine has admitted hoarding explosives and making bombs for a Northern Ireland-related terror attack.

Ciaran Maxwell, 31, of Exminster, Devon, pleaded guilty at the Old Bailey to preparation of terrorist acts between January 2011 and August 2016.

According to the charge details, he had a stash of explosives in purpose-built hides in England and Northern Ireland.

He compiled a library of terrorism documents, including instructions on how to make explosives and tactics used by terrorist organisations.

He also had maps, plans and lists of potential targets for a terrorist attack and images of an adapted Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) pass card and a PSNI uniform.

He bought chemicals and components and went on to manufacture explosives and devices, the court heard.

Maxwell was also charged with possessing images of bank cards for fraud and possessing cannabis with intent to supply.

He appeared before Mr Justice Sweeney at the Old Bailey via video link from Woodhill jail and spoke only to confirm his name and enter guilty pleas to all the charges.

Maxwell was arrested on August 24 by officers from the Metropolitan Police Service's counter-terrorism command, supported by Avon and Somerset and Devon and Cornwall Police.

He was remanded in custody to be sentenced on a date to be fixed.

The court heard that Maxwell stashed in his hides a range of explosive substances, devices, and components as well as ammunition, weapons, and tools for making bombs.

Maxwell, originally from Larne, Co Antrim, was arrested in a pre-planned operation believed to have been linked to the discovery of two dissident arsenals in woodland in Northern Ireland earlier in 2016.

Officers searched a house in Exminster in Devon and nearby Powderham New Plantation woods.

In Northern Ireland, officers searched a number of properties in Larne, near the two forest parks where the weapons dumps were earlier unearthed.

It has since emerged that at the age of 16, Maxwell was the victim of a savage sectarian beating in his home town.

He suffered a fractured skull and multiple other injuries when a gang of loyalists attacked him with iron bars and golf clubs.

During his recovery he recounted the incident to republican newspaper An Phoblacht in an article that was accompanied by a picture showing the extent of his injuries.

Commander Dean Haydon of the Metropolitan Police's Counter Terrorism Command acknowledged the "excellent" joint work between the Northern Ireland force and the UK national counter terrorism network.

He said: "This investigation resulted in a significant disruption and protected public safety by removing a large quantity of dangerous material from circulation."

Assistant Chief Constable Stephen Martin, of PSNI, said: "Working together, we have disrupted the activity of a dangerous individual and removed a very significant threat."

Two Dublin men are on trial at the Special Criminal Court, charged with murder

A woman has described hearing two gunshots on the afternoon a dissident republican was shot dead outside a pub across the road from her house.

Peter Butterly (35) was shot dead outside The Huntsman Inn, Gormanston, Co Meath on March 6th, 2013.

Two Dublin men are on trial at the Special Criminal Court, charged with his murder.

Edward McGrath (35), of Land Dale Lawns, Springfield, Tallaght and Sharif Kelly (46), of Pinewood Green Road, Balbriggan have both pleaded not guilty to the alleged murder.

Mr McGrath has also pleaded not guilty to firearms offences on the same occasion.

A third accused, Dean Evans (24), of Grange Park Rise, Raheny, Dublin, failed to turn up for the trial, and has not been located by the gardai. The non-jury court decided to proceed with his two co-accused in Mr Evans’s absence.

Today, Adriana Skorus told Alex Owens SC, prosecuting, that at the time of the shooting she was living opposite the Huntsman Inn. 

The court heard that she was in her living-room, talking with a friend on Skype, when she heard "weird noises".

"I knew after that it was two gunshots," she said. 

Ms Skorus said that she looked out the window and saw a man standing in the Huntsman's carpark. 

The court heard that the man was holding a small black handgun and facing in the direction of Balbriggan.

There was a car behind the man, either cream- or silver-coloured, Ms Skorus told Mr Owens. 

She said that after a few seconds, the man sat in the back of the car, which drove out of the carpark. 

A few minutes later Ms Skorus went outside and saw another car going into the carpark, the court heard.

She said that a man got out of the car and went to the corner of the carpark. He was looking a the ground, she said.  

Earlier, the court rejected an application by defence counsels to rule out the evidence of the accused men's arrest. 

The barristers had argued last week that their detention were unlawful.

It is the second trial of Mr McGrath and Mr Kelly. The original trial collapsed after 55 days in January, 2015, and a retrial was ordered.

The trial continues before the non-jury court, with Mr Justice Tony Hunt presiding.  

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A grandfather caught with a sawn-off shotgun hidden in his back garden told gardai that people were trying to kill him, a court has heard.

Donal O'Hara (51) had also been caught a year earlier growing cannabis plants in a master bedroom of his home and was on bail for that offence when gardai discovered the firearm.

O'Hara, of Glin Park, Coolock, Dublin pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to cultivation of cannabis at his home on February 11, 2015.

He also pleaded guilty to possession of a 12 gauge single barrel sawn off shotgun and shotgun cartridges at his home on June 22, 2016.

O'Hara has 29 previous convictions including drugs, public order and road traffic offences. He does not have any previous convictions for firearms offences.

Judge Patricia Ryan adjourned sentencing to March 3rd next.

Garda Joe McBride told Noel Devitt BL, prosecuting, that gardai acting on confidential information searched O'Hara's home on February 11, 2015 and found 72 cannabis plants at an early stage of growth in the master bedroom. O'Hara said he was growing the plants for his own use.

The court heard the plants had a potential street value of €55,600 if they were all female and all grew to full maturity.

It was not determined if the plant were male or female.

Garda Alan Roche told Mr Devitt that on June 22, 2016 gardai acting on confidential information searched O'Hara's home and found a sawn off shotgun and cartridges in a bag in a trailer at the rear of the house.

O'Hara had assisted gardai in locating the item.

He told gardai that people were trying to kill him and he would let off a shot if someone came near the house but he was not into killing people. “This has to come to an end one day,” O'Hara said, “they will put me in a box.”

Gda Roche said there had been a chronological series of serious incidents at the house in the previous years including an unknown person firing four or five shots at O'Hara.

On examination, the firearm was found to be in poor condition and the forensic team were not prepared to fire it. O'Hara told gardai he had carried out “some small repairs” on the weapon,

Gda Roche agreed with Luigi Rea BL, defending, that there had been a number of incidents at the house including threats made to one of O'Hara's sons and a gun put to his face. Another son received a warning from gardai that his life was in imminent danger.

Mr Rea said O'Hara's wife's car had been smashed and there had also been a shooting outside O'Hara's home as well as shots fired through a window on another date.

Gda Roche agreed that O'Hara told gardai an unknown person had presented him with the weapon.

Gda McBride told Mr Devitt that O'Hara said he smoked cannabis and due to financial circumstances he had bought the grow tent and other equipment to grow the plants for his own use.

Gda McBride agreed with Mr Rea the plants were at that time growing under an 80 watt bulb and would need wattage in the order of 400 to 1000 to grow to full capacity.

He agreed that in their current location the plants were hardly ever likely to reach full maturity.

Gda McBride agreed that no list of names or phone messages were found during the search.

Mr Rea submitted that at the time O'Hara had allowed his cannabis use to get a grip of him but that was in the past and he was instructed urine samples would now be clean.

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A garda who sent a video of himself performing a sex act to a woman "three days after he talked her out of jumping off a bridge" was not prosecuted because of a shortcoming in the law.

Independent.ie has learned that the officer was fined by the Garda Commissioner after the Garda Síochana Ombudsman Commission (GSOC) found he breached discipline.

However the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) decided that criminal charges could not be brought against the member because of a gap in the law.

Under section 13 of the Post Office (Amendment) Act 1951 the offence of sending any message by telephone which is grossly offensive or of an indecent, obscene or menacing character is currently confined to telephone communications and does not include online messages.

A source, familiar with the case, said that because this video was sent through a social media site it was not strictly an offence under current legislation.

This shortcoming was highlighted in 2014 by the Law Reform Commission and again in their 2016 report ‘Harmful communications and digital safety’.

The September 2016 document reads: “The Report recommends that the section 13 offence should be repealed and replaced with an offence of distributing a threatening, false, indecent or obscene message by any means of communication and with the intent to cause alarm, distress of harm or being reckless as to this.”

The woman at the centre of this case explained that she first got in touch with the garda member on a dating website but they both agreed that a relationship would not work out because they lived some distance apart.

She said: “I'd known and trusted for a very long time and in September 2013 he talked me out of jumping off a bridge. Then three days later he sent me a video of himself pleasuring himself.

“I was all over the place at the time, my mother was dying from cancer and I wasn't coping. Without any invitation he randomly just sent it to me,” she said.

The video was sent to the woman on instant messaging site Viber.

The woman explained that she went to her local garda station after the incident in September 2013 and a statement was taken. Later she was told to make a report to GSOC and the matter went to a board of enquiry.

The woman gave evidence and the board found that the garda, who is based in the east of the country, was in the wrong.

The DPP was not, however, able to prosecute the garda so the matter was referred to the Garda Commissioner who imposed a fine. The matter was finalised in 2015.

Sources have claimed that the officer, who has an otherwise unblemished record, was docked two weeks wages.

However details of fines imposed on members are not released publicly. A garda spokesman added: “We do not comment on internal garda investigations.”

The victim said she is unhappy with the decision and has written to Garda Commissioner Noirín O’Sullivan asking for the case to be reviewed.

However, in a letter sent by a senior officer to the woman in December 2015, she was told that the disciplinary action imposed on the garda “cannot be legally revisited or altered at this point.

The letter continues: “This matter has now been brought to a conclusion as far as the Garda Siochana, the Director of Public Prosecutions and the Commissioner of An Garda Siochana are concerned.”

The woman has contacted a TD who attempted to raise the matter in the Dáil. She said she would like to see the matter reopened.

Via Independent.ie

Daniel Challis as he swallowed a live goldfish

Two people have been handed suspended prison sentences after footage of a goldfish being swallowed alive appeared on social media.

Daniel Challis, 24, and Cheryl Stevens, 27, were both sentenced to 18 weeks, suspended for 12 months, after being convicted of causing unnecessary suffering to the fish at Plymouth Magistrates' Court.

Magistrates were shown the video, filmed in Paignton, Devon, in March 2016, which showed the goldfish being swallowed.

The RSPCA launched an investigation after being made aware of the footage.

Challis, of Westhill Road, Torquay, and Stevens, of Brecon Close, Paignton, were banned from keeping fish for five years.

They were both ordered to carry out 200 hours of unpaid work and pay £1,085.25 in costs and a £115 victim surcharge.

Speaking after the case, RSPCA inspector Jo Pearson said: "The goldfish was clearly alive in the footage and would have suffered an unpleasant death.

"Hopefully the outcome of this case demonstrates to people who think that such stunts might be funny that they're actually acts of cruelty, and the courts clearly take a dim view of them."

Wayne Casserly was giving evidence at the Central Criminal Court

A witness has admitted that he lied to a murder trial when he failed to mention that the deceased had a hatchet in his hand when he entered the row that led to his death.

Wayne Casserly was giving evidence at the Central Criminal Court in the trial of Wayne Cluskey (25), and Josh Turner (24), both of Mooretown, Ratoath, Co Meath. The two men have pleaded not guilty to the murder of 27-year-old Christopher Nevin at Tailteann Road, Navan on November 19, 2015.

The trial has heard that Mr Turner lent a male chihuahua to the deceased to breed with his three females. When only one of the chihuahuas got pregnant a dispute arose, ending in the fatal fight.

Under cross examination from Mr Turner's defence counsel, Patrick Marrinan SC, Mr Casserly said Mr Nevin took a hatchet with him when he went out to confront the two men about the chihuahua. He agreed that this was not what he said during his evidence to prosecuting counsel Michael O'Higgins SC, and added: "That is the only lie I told."

Mr Casserly agreed that Josh Turner backed away with his arms up when Mr Nevin emerged with the hatchet. He also agreed that it was only after Mr Nevin emerged with the hatchet that Wayne Cluskey took an axe from his car and ran at Christopher Nevin. He said he seemed to barge into Mr Nevin with his shoulder.

Mr Marrinan said that as this was happening, his client Josh Turner, went inside Mr Casserly's house and shouted for someone to "come and stop this". Mr Marrinan said he further accepts that he then struck Mr Nevin several times. "He regretted what he had done and had to be taken from the scene," he said.

Mr Marrinan asked Mr Casserly if he had also lied when he said that after the incident Josh Turner told him, "keep your mouth shut". Mr Casserly replied: "I know what you are saying but that is what he said to me." 

Wayne Cluskey's mother Caroline Vaughan told Mr O'Higgins that her son and the other accused man lived together at the family home in Ratoath. On November 19, 2015 she called to the house at about 5pm and found Josh "covered in blood". Wayne also had a "bit of blood" on him. She said Wayne was shouting at Josh: "There was no need for that. You shouldn't have done it."

She thought they had been fighting one another so she took Josh away in her car and asked him what had happened. He told her: "I was fighting with Nevs." She said he was upset, crying and told her he had hit "Nevs" once on the head. He asked her to take him to a police station but she instead took him back home.

The following day she received a phone call from her son, Wayne, who was crying and told her "Nevs is dead". He said he was going to call a garda in Navan and she told him that was the best thing to do.

Mr Cluskey's girlfriend Alex O'Driscoll told Mr O'Higgins that Wayne was "in bits" that evening. She said he told her that Mr Nevin had hit him with the hatchet and that he was frightened.

She said both men were crying and that she overheard Josh say that he would take the blame.

The trial continues on Monday in front of Justice Patrick McCarthy and a jury of nine men and three women.

Ireland's great run in the EuroMillions continues

Just a few weeks after someone won a top prize of €88.5m, there was yet more EuroMillions success for Irish ticket holders tonight.

While nobody in the draw won the top prize won the €17m jackpot, three punters across Europe matched five numbers and one Lucky Star.

That is worth €369,791 and one of the three tickets was sold in Ireland

The Winning numbers in the EuroMillions draw were 03, 04, 50, 46, 15

The Lucky Star numbers were 09, 05.

But even this winner was outdone by another mystery Irish ticket holder, who matched all five numbers in the EuroMillions Plus draw.

That person has won €500,000, which is a bloody great start to the weekend for them.

The winning numbers in that draw were 2, 21, 23, 29 and 49.

On January 24 one Irish ticket scooped the top prize of almost €88.5m in the main EuroMillions draw.

Fitzgerald says there is "no evidence" to suggest a Kinahan mole within the force

Tánaiste and Justice Minister Frances Fitzgerald has said she has received no "evidence" to suggest that members of the Kinahan faction have informers within An Garda Síochána.

Smoking is one of the eternal factors that triggers cancer according to new study

The first solid evidence that smoking causes cancer came in the 1950s, followed decades later by revelations that "second-hand" smoke also harms health.

Some of the recovered jewellery

Gardai have arrested a teenager after he was found with an assortment of jewellery and a jar of coins.

Car intercepted as part of Op Thor by Gardaí in Wicklow. Assortment of jewellery & coin recovered one male arrested. Investigations ongoing pic.twitter.com/hgh9MdZKih

— Garda Info (@gardainfo) February 3, 2017

Sunny but cold spells this weekend

Temperatures are set to drop as low as -4 degrees tonight, resulting in severe frost and icy stretches across the country.

Vcold with sctrd shwrs.More persistent rain &sleet in NE will clear overnight. Lows -3 to +2C with frost & icy patches.Some fog patches also

— Met Éireann (@MetEireann) February 3, 2017

A pensioner has been charged by police in Belfast investigating a number of robberies and thefts.

The robberies took place in the east of the city.

The 70-year-old is to appear at Belfast Magistrates Court later today (Sat).

As is normal procedure all charges will be reviewed by the PPS.

Trump announced his executive order on immigration banning travel to the US by people from seven predominantly Muslim countries, including Iran

An Iranian baby banned from entering the United States for life-saving heart surgery under President Donald Trump's executive order will now be allowed to travel for the emergency procedure, officials said.

The family had an appointment in Dubai to get a tourist visa, but it was abruptly cancelled earlier this week after Mr Trump announced his executive order on immigration banning travel to the US by people from seven predominantly Muslim countries, including Iran.

Four-month-old Fatemeh Reshad was forced to return home.

Iranian doctors told the child's parents weeks ago that she needed at least one urgent surgery - and maybe several - to correct serious heart defects, or she would die, according to her uncle, Samad Taghizadeh, a US citizen who lives in Portland.

New York governor Andrew Cuomo said Manhattan's Mount Sinai Medical Centre had offered to perform the critical surgery, but the family finally chose to do it in Portland, Oregon, because of the hospital's paediatric cardiology expertise and its proximity to the baby's uncle and grandparents.

"This evening we were pleased to learn that the federal government has now granted Fatemeh Reshad and her family boarding documents to come to the United States," the governor said in a statement.

"We will continue to work with the International Refugee Assistance Project and their partners to ensure this baby receives the treatment she needs, and fight for those being unfairly shut out of America's gates by this policy."

Mr Cuomo said he worked with the organisation to help secure a government visa waiver of Mr Trump's order.

"Bizarrely, the federal ban would prevent this child from receiving medical care and literally endanger her life," Mr Cuomo said. "It is repugnant to all we believe as Americans and as members of the human family."

Doctors in Iran sent the results of tests and other records that show Fatemeh has structural abnormalities and two holes in her heart, said Jennifer Morrissey, a Portland lawyer helping with the case. She said the infant is expected in Portland early next week.

The issue is time, said Mr Taghizadeh, adding: "She's in an emergency situation and if it takes a long time, they're going to lose her."

AP

Gardai near the scene of the murder of environmental activist Michael McCoy

Gardaí now believe that murdered environmental activist Michael McCoy was beaten to death with a tree branch.

Gardai closed off the road following the collision

A man has died following a collision with a bin lorry, gardai have said.

Armed Gardai are patrolling the streets trying to prevent more bloodshed

The Kinahan cartel is on the brink of all-out war with elements of the Provisional IRA and some other dissident republicans, according to reports.

According to a report in the Irish Daily Star, former members of the Provisional IRA have vowed to wage war on the cartel.

The Star reports that senior member Daniel Kinahan has fallen out with a Republican kingpin who has ties with Gerry Hutch.

The figure in question is a high-profile individual who was once linked to the massive £26.5 million Northern Bank robbery in 2004. He is a former brigade commander, the Star reports, who has forged close links to the tearaway group New IRA. 

It is alleged the two leading figures met in recent weeks but are said to have had a 'massive row'. 

A point of contention is the murders of Noel 'Duck Egg' Kirwan, Noel 'Kingsive' Duggan and Michael Barr, all of whom it is reported had close ties to the Republican movement. Various groups are concerned the now-notorious feud and the subsequent police pressure is having a detrimental affect on their respective rackets. 

"The Kinahans are finished", the source told the Star. "They have shot six innocent men, not one of them were on the Regency hit team. The IRA will spill blood. That's a fact. They're also sick to the teeth with the feud - it's badly affecting business."

The source added that Hutch has had Republican links "for years", and that "something big was coming". 

"To call them (Kinahans) a cartel is a joke. Twelve men in Dublin and eight in Spainhardly constitutes a cartel. 

"Something big is coming. They are going to be hit with a bloody vengeance like they have never imagined. The lads have no interest in going after innocent people who carry coffins - tearing families apart for no reason. 

"When they act it will be to cut off the head of the snake. It'll be spectacular."

Tomorrow is the one-year anniversary of the notorious Regency Hotel attack, and Gardai are fearful of an impending attack. 

Since the shooting last year, in which David Byrne was killed, Gardai have developed a unit whose main aim is to prevent more bloodshed between the two warring gangs.

It has led to over a dozen murder attempts being prevented and hundreds of firearms being seized, while also seriously impeding the drug trafficking network of the city’s biggest crime gangs. They have been involved in a number of significant raids which have seen over €500,000 in cash, drugs and firearms seized.

Just two weeks ago almost 20 firearms were seized by Gardai in the capital. Some of the weapons were loaded and gardaí believe they prevented an "imminent attack".

In the past year alone over 400 firearms have been seized along with millions in cash, dozens of high-powered vehicles and over €60 million worth of drugs.

Speaking after the recent firearms and drug seizure Detective Supt Tony Howard said, "There is absolutely no doubt that that this type of activity - which as the Commissioner stated may go unseen by the public - but the reality is this operation disrupted an imminent attack and I've no doubt that we have saved lives as a result of this operation.

"Obviously this particular operation and last weekend's (drug seizure) as well as a myriad of operations we conducted through 2016 resulted in 18 firearms being seized.

"The reality is all of these seizures put together has resulted in a considerable impact on how these organised crime gangs can operate here in the state.

"I'd like to congratulate the Gardai here concerned because there's always a risk when we have young Gardai going out on our operations, especially when we're interrupting gangs who have access to firearms. 

The hides were discovered in Carnfunnock and Capanagh parks

Explosives and bomb making equipment was found

Bullets found during the search

A Royal Marine with links to dissident republicanism has admitted hoarding explosives and making bombs for a terror attack.

Ciaran Maxwell, 31, of Exminster, Devon, pleaded guilty at the Old Bailey to preparation of terrorist acts between January 2011 and August 2016.

The serviceman, who is originally from Co Antrim, admitted stashing explosives in purpose-built hides in England and Northern Ireland.

He compiled a library of terrorism documents, including instructions on how to make explosives and tactics used by terrorist organisations.

He also had maps, plans and lists of potential targets for a terrorist attack and images of an adapted Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) pass card and a PSNI uniform.

He bought chemicals and components and went on to manufacture explosives and devices, the court heard.

There remain doubts whether Maxwell himself was a member of a dissident republican organisation, with security sources instead describing him as exhibiting "elements of lone wolf behaviour".

Explosives and bomb making equipment were found 

However, it is understood detectives are adamant that one of his associates was an active dissident.

"He's clearly linked to someone who had clear links with dissident republican activity," a source told the Press Association.

The extremists intent on bringing about a united Ireland by violent means are small in both number and capacity compared with the republican paramilitary organisations of the Troubles, but they retain the ability to launch deadly if sporadic attacks on the security forces.

Since 2009 dissidents have murdered two soldiers, two policemen and two prison officers in Northern Ireland.

Maxwell was also charged with possessing images of bank cards for fraud and possessing cannabis with intent to supply.

He appeared before Mr Justice Sweeney at the Old Bailey via video link from Woodhill jail and spoke only to confirm his name and enter guilty pleas to all the charges.

Maxwell was arrested on August 24 by officers from the Metropolitan Police Service's counter-terrorism command, supported by Avon and Somerset and Devon and Cornwall Police.

He was remanded in custody to be sentenced on a date to be fixed.

The court heard that Maxwell stashed in his hides a range of explosive substances, devices and components as well as ammunition, weapons and tools for making bombs.

Maxwell, originally from Larne, was arrested in a pre-planned operation believed to have been linked to the discovery of two dissident arsenals in woodland on the outskirts of the Co Antrim town in 2016.

Officers searched a house in Exminster in Devon and nearby Powderham New Plantation woods.

In Northern Ireland, officers also searched a number of properties in Larne.

Months earlier, two separate hauls of weapons were discovered in Carnfunnock and Capanagh parks.

In March 2016, police said four barrels were unearthed at Carnfunnock - two were empty but two contained a variety of bomb-making components, including wiring, toggle switches, circuit boards, partially constructed timer power units, ball bearings and a small quantity of explosives.

In May, an armour-piercing improvised rocket and two anti-personnel mines were among the cache recovered at Capanagh.

Several pipe bombs, magazines and ammunition for an assault rifle, and bomb component parts and command wires were also concealed in barrels in purpose-built holes in woodland.

Since his arrest it emerged that at the age of 16, Maxwell was the victim of a savage sectarian beating in his home town.

He suffered a fractured skull and multiple other injuries when a gang of loyalists attacked him with iron bars and golf clubs.

During his recovery he recounted the incident to republican newspaper An Phoblacht in an article that was accompanied by a picture showing the extent of his injuries.

Commander Dean Haydon of the Metropolitan Police's Counter Terrorism Command acknowledged the "excellent" joint work between officers in Northern Ireland and the UK national counter terrorism network.

He said: "This investigation resulted in a significant disruption and protected public safety by removing a large quantity of dangerous material from circulation."

Assistant Chief Constable Stephen Martin, of PSNI, said: "Working together, we have disrupted the activity of a dangerous individual and removed a very significant threat."

Larne is predominantly unionist/loyalist in community make-up, so the discovery of the finds led to some initial speculation that they could be linked to loyalist paramilitaries.

However, after assessing the nature of the weaponry, police said the hauls actually bore all the hallmarks of dissident republicans.

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An armed robbery in Dublin on Saturday ended in gardai arresting a man attempting to cross a river on the city's southside.

A man in his 30s is scheduled to appear in court this morning following a robbery at a fast food premises this weekend.

At around 7.30pm on Saturday, a lone male entered the premises on Lower Rathmines Road, Dublin 6.

He approached a female cashier and threatened her with a knife.

The culprit took a sum of money from the tills before leaving in a taxi.

The man later got out at the Milltown Road. The cashier was uninjured.

A number of garda units responded to the robbery, and the culprit was located attempting to cross the Dodder river.

He was arrested and brought to Rathmines garda station, where he was detained under the provisions of Section 4 of The Criminal Justice Act 1984.

The man has been charged and is scheduled to appear at the Criminal Courts of Justice this morning, charged in connection with the robbery.

Michaella McCollum (Image via Facebook)

Drug smuggler Michaella McCollum has broken her recent silence after returning home to Ireland from prison in Peru last year.

McCollum was caught trying to smuggle 11kg of cocaine worth over €1.5million out of Peru with accomplice Melissa Reid in 2013.

The pair, nicknamed the Peru Two, were jailed for six years and eight months after admitting the crime but were freed in 2016 after striking a deal with Peruvian authorities.

McCollum, from Dungannon, Co Tyrone, returned to Northern Ireland in August.

Writing on Facebook, she told her followers: "Now that I have the chance I just want to thank everyone who has supported myself and family through these past few years.

"Please know I truly appreciate each one who cared and had my back.

"Thank you for all the sweet messages I have not got reading them all just yet or got a chance to reply to them but I will definitely make a good attempt to get back to you all.

"It has been a long ride to get where I am today but it just shows that when we fight hard enough for something we can achieve."

McCollum and Reid, from Lenzie, East Dunbartonshire, travelled to Peru on August 15 2013, and were caught trying to leave the country with the Class A drug at Lima Airport two days later.

They faced the prospect of a maximum 15-year prison term but struck a behind-closed-doors plea bargain to secure the shorter sentence.

Alongside a selfie showing a blonde hairstyle, McCollum told friends of her hopes for the future despite her criminal reputation.

She said: "When one door closes, another opens; but we often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door that we do not see the one which has opened for us."

After their arrest, the pair said they had been forced to carry the drugs under duress.

However, Reid told the Scottish Sun on her return how she travelled to South America to have a story to boast about to friends on the Ibiza party scene.

She was offered offered €5,000 to fly to Argentina, spend a few days sightseeing and return to Europe with a package in her luggage.

"My life will never be the same," she told the newspaper.

Via Independent.ie/PA

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A Status Yellow wind warning has been issued for Ireland today as rain is forecasted throughout Monday.