Cork care assistant confesses to robbery of post offices, carrying a knife and making threats to kill
Fintan Tindley of Loughmahon Avenue, Mahon, Cork, had faced the prospect of trial by judge and jury had it not been for the guilty pleas. File picture
A former HSE home care assistant who was never in any trouble confessed today to robbing two post offices and trying to rob a third one, while carrying a knife and threatening to kill people present.
The 49-year-old accused previously told gardaí that he carried out the crimes because he was trying to get money to travel to America to meet his fiancée.
He was arraigned today on his first appearance before Cork Circuit Criminal Court on all nine counts on the indictment. He pleaded guilty to all of them.
Fintan Tindley of Loughmahon Avenue, Mahon, Cork, had faced the prospect of trial by judge and jury had it not been for the guilty pleas.
Defence senior counsel Elizabeth O’Connell applied to Judge Catherine Staines to direct a psychologist’s report on the accused.
"He has been referred by the prison to a psychologist already so that might speed up the matter,” Ms O’Connell said.
Judge Staines acceded to that application.
Prosecution barrister, Paula McCarthy, said that victim impact statements also had to be prepared.
Tindley, who was employed as a HSE home care assistant, pleaded guilty to robbery of South Douglas Road Post Office on November 11, attempted robbery of the same premises on November 18 and robbery of Ballintemple Post Office on November 16, all dates relating to 2022.
He also admitted producing a knife at the post office on South Douglas Road on November 11 and again on November 18, and producing a knife at Ballintemple post office on November 16 2022.
He pleaded guilty, finally, to making a death threat on each occasion. In respect of November 11 the alleged death threat was against a man. The two other dates relate to similar charges against women.
These charges specify that, “without lawful excuse, he made to a named person, a threat, intending the person to believe it would be carried out, to kill or cause the person serious harm, contrary to the Non-Fatal Offences Against the Person Act".
It previously emerged during court hearings that the man accused of carrying out three post office raids was trying to get money to travel to America to meet his fiancée.
One of the grounds for the prosecution objecting to bail was the allegation that he was a flight risk as he had travelled to the United States twice this year to meet up with a woman he met online and to whom he had become engaged and was planning to visit again.
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