Turnpike getaway car stolen in Dublin

THE getaway car used in an armed robbery of a bookies in Ennis at the weekend was stolen in Dublin last March, gardaí investigating the incident have confirmed.
On Saturday, shortly after 7.30pm, two armed men entered the branch of Ladbroke’s in The Turnpike, while a third man waited outside in a silver Audi.
Two members of staff and two customers, including 75-year-old Jim Cox, were in the bookies at the time of the raid. The robbers, who had Dublin accents, were armed with a gun and a knife and demanded the safe be opened. No one was hurt during the incident and no shots were fired. It is understood a passing taxi driver alerted the gardaí, who arrived at the scene shortly after the gang made their escape with around €450.
Gardaí recovered the abandoned car afterwards in Glen Gardens, Ennis. The vehicle was forensically examined and gardaí have established that it had been previously stolen in Dublin. According to a spokesman for Ennis gardaí, the investigation is still ongoing.
The pensioner who was caught up in the raid, Mr Cox, described what happened to The Clare Champion, “They came in very fast, they knew what they were doing. They were at it before somewhere else, I’d say. They didn’t say much to each other, I’d say they didn’t want their accents to be known but they sounded like they were from Dublin.”
He told how he took cover behind a pillar during the robbery as he believed shots could be fired. “The guy with the gun stayed at the door and I went in behind the pillar because I thought he might fire a warning shot,” he recalled.
He said he was “more shocked than scared” during the incident. He revealed that despite his ordeal, he was back in the bookies the following day, saying, “Lightning don’t strike twice”.
Meanwhile, Mayor of Ennis Councillor Michael Guilfoyle has called for CCTV cameras to be installed in the area.
“Given the fact that we have had several attempted robberies, and robberies, in the general area, and other incidents, at this stage, I think there is an immediate need for CCTV in this area. With the dual carriageway, there is now much easier access out, cars involved in criminal activity can be out and onto the dual carriageway and gone in no time. And they can be in Dublin in a couple of hours. There is certainly a greater need for CCTV.”
Councillor Guilfoyle said he would be bringing the issue before the next meeting of Ennis Town Council. As a native of the Turnpike, Councillor Guilfoyle commented, “I was shocked to hear what had happened, to have a shotgun produced and people threatened. In a way, we have been living in a cocoon with no antisocial behaviour or any real crime until the last year or so, so this is definitely something that is of concern.”
Gardaí in Ennis are appealing for anyone with any information in relation to the robbery to contact them on 065 6864157.