A 28-year-old man who was arrested in Cork following a major manhunt involving up to 60 gardaí has been remanded in custody after he was charged with a series of offences including burglary and ramming a garda car.
Larry Connors from Cherryfield Way, Tallaght, Dublin 16, was brought before a special sitting of Cork District Court where he was charged with a total of ten offences at various locations in Cork city and county, all on September 12th.
Garda Liz Bugler of Douglas Garda Station gave evidence of arrest, charge and caution and told the court that Mr Connors made no reply to any of the 10 charges when they were put to him after caution.
Among the charges were that Mr Connors committed a burglary at Coach Hill, Rochestown Road in Cork and that he was in possession at Mahon Golf Club of jewellery stolen in the Coach Hill burglary.
He was also charged that he was in possession of an Audi RS3 at Coach Hill that had been stolen in the UK on August 28th and that he did drive the vehicle at and cause criminal damage to a garda patrol car at Coach Hill.
He was also charged that at the N40 South Ring Road, he was in possession of a safe and jewellery stolen from a house on Coach Hill and that he was in possession of jewellery stolen from another house on the Rochestown Road.
He was also charged that at the N40 South Ring Road, he was in possession of cash and jewellery stolen in a burglary in Ballinhassig and another charge he was possession of €650 in coin stolen in another burglary in Ballinhassig.
He was also charged with entering a house as a trespasser a house on the Dublin Road in Fermoy with intent to commit a crime and another charge of entering the same house as a trespasser and committing criminal damage.
Bail objection
Insp Jason Lynch said that gardaí were objecting to bail due to the seriousness of the charges and the significant sentence upon conviction and because they believed that Mr Connors would commit further offences if granted bail.
Garda Bugler said the State would say that it had very strong evidence against Mr Connors and she alleged he was spotted by gardaí waiting in a grey Audi when two men emerged from a house in Rochestown with a safe.
She said that the State would allege that Mr Connors drove the Audi and rammed a garda patrol car before taking off at speed and that it led to a major operation by gardaí with several patrol cars seeking to apprehend him.
She said the State would allege Mr Connors lost control of the Audi on the N40 South Ring Road and he and two others fled the car which was fitted with false number plates and ran across four lanes of traffic towards Mahon Golf Club.
She said gardaí had dash cam footage which she said would show Mr Connors wearing distinctive white clothing fleeing from the Audi and that he was wearing similar clothing when he was later arrested in Mahon Golf Club.
She said the State would allege that it found jewellery which had been stolen in one of the Rochestown burglaries near where Mr Connors was found in Mahon Golf Club while they also found jewellery and a safe in the stolen car.
Defence solicitor, Aonghus McCarthy said that his client was willing to abide by whatever bail conditions that the court would set, including residing at his home address, keeping a curfew and signing on daily at his local garda station.
Judge Patricia Harney said that having heard the state objections including the strength of the evidence it said it would present in the case, she was refusing bail and she remanded Mr Connors to appear again in September 18th.
