'Just a blaze of flashing blue lights'
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Wednesday February 03 2010
CLOUDS of smoke billowing from Dunleer's Bank of Ireland car park was the first indication last Friday that it was being held up by a gang of armed robbers.
'I thought it was a fire and it was only when a garda car screeched off after a red Audi that I realised that there had been a robbery, ' said one local shopowner. 'Then lots of garda cars and the fire brigade all arrived, together. It was just a blaze of flashing blue lights for an hour or two.'
Ex-county councillor and accountant, Thomas Clare actually witnessed the robbery from his office, which is just metres away. When he saw the smoke and flames, he rang the fire brigade thinking the bank was on fire.
He then ran out the front to see if he could help and saw two bank employees outside looking distressed. When he looked in through the window, he realised there had been a robbery.
Mr Clare was running back towards his own office when two men wearing balaclavas and gloves appeared.
'One of them had something in his hand, I wasn't sure if it was a gun or a jemmy bar. I heard someone else say, it was a sawn off shotgun. They ran out just past me on the footpath.'
He noticed a red northern-registered Audi car which was three or four years old. The two men jumped in and were 'gone in two seconds', heading out the Barn Road.
He then rang the local garda station. ' They were extremely fast on the ball. The guards and the fire brigade cars were all here within minutes.'
Afterwards, Thomas Clare said the impact on the bank staff would be felt for some time.
