Adrian Donohoe murder: Man guilty of theft linked to fatal robbery

James Flynn was found guilty at the Special Criminal Court in Dublin

A man from County Armagh has been convicted in relation to a robbery in which a garda (Irish police officer) was shot dead.

James Flynn, 32, was found guilty of breaking into a house and stealing the keys of a car which was later used in the armed robbery.

Det Garda Adrian Donohoe died after he was shot in Lordship Credit Union in County Louth on 25 January 2013.

Aaron Brady was found guilty in 2020 of murdering him.

Det Garda Adrian Donohoe was shot dead during the armed robbery

Det Garda Donohoe, who was 41, was married with two young children.

He was one of two detectives on late-night duty who were escorting a cash collection at the rural credit union when the robbery took place.

His murder trial was told that staff were preparing to leave the building with the day's takings when they were approached by a gang of men who robbed them.

Det Garda Donohoe was shot in the head and died at the scene.

'Actively conspired'

On Monday, at the Special Criminal Court in Dublin, Flynn was found guilty of conspiring with Brady and others to break into a house in Clogherhead, two days before the robbery and murder, to steal the keys of a Volkswagen Passatt.

The vehicle was later used as a getaway car.

Mr Justice Tony Hunt said Flynn "actively conspired with two companions to burgle house and secrete the car away for use of criminality".

He was not found guilty of the robbery of €7,000 (£6,000) at the Credit Union.

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A second man, Brendan Treanor, 34, previously of Emer Terrace, Castletown Road in Dundalk, County Louth, was found not guilty of both charges.

The court heard while "clear evidence establishes that Treanor is a member of a criminal gang", there was no direct evidence linking him to the scene.

The getaway car was found burnt out at Fews forest outside Newtownhamilton, County Armagh

The court found CCTV surveillance put Flynn "closer to the centre of affairs than Brendan Treanor", the judge added.

The court was also satisfied that Flynn had lied a number of times in relation to his whereabouts at the time of the robbery.

The court said Flynn was an active member of the gang when it carried out the robbery.

However, it could not be sure he was one of the four men who took part in the robbery and there was a lack of direct evidence linking him to the crime.

Mr Justice Hunt said: "In the final analysis we cannot be sure he was at the scene as opposed to being a participant in the gang and we are compelled to return a verdict of not guilty on this charge."

The judge remanded Flynn in custody for sentencing, which is scheduled for 13 November.