‘Come on, there’s a baby here’ raider with flammable liquid and lighter demanded cash

Tom Tuite

A masked knife-armed raider poured "flammable liquid" over a counter while holding a cigarette lighter and demanded cash in front of a mother and her baby in a Dublin shop, a court has heard.

Darragh Kane, 24, of Cushlawn Park, Tallaght, Dublin, is accused of carrying out a robbery at his local shop, the Nearby store in Marlfied, Tallaght, on July 3rd and was refused bail at Dublin District Court on Saturday.

Garda Danny Maloney cited the seriousness of the case and said the incident was captured on CCTV. An audio recording picked up the raider telling a cashier, "Come on, there's a baby here" after he "entered the store armed with a small bottle of accelerant, a knife and a lighter," Judge Michele Finan heard.

According to the officer, the raider poured the flammable liquid onto the counter and demanded the shopkeeper to hand over the money.

The contested bail hearing was told the man was holding a knife and the shop worker was in fear. The robber reached over the counter, took the cash drawer, and fled with €446.

Garda Maloney described it as a "well-planned robbery," the suspect was well-covered in a ski mask, hoodie, baseball cap, and gloves to hide his identity.

The court heard that the raider was on CCTV footage outside the shop waiting for his chance to enter the store. The door has a security measure and can only be opened by staff from the inside.

It was alleged the robber entered after seeing a worker leaving. The court also heard claims that a woman and her baby were in the store during the incident.

The suspect allegedly referred to the baby when demanding money from the cashier, saying, "Come on, there's a baby here." During the robbery, the male's left wrist was exposed, and gardai observed a "distinctive tattoo" in the video footage.

The defendant's home was searched. Gardaí seized clothing, footwear, and a digital video recorder box for the house's CCTV system, which will be analysed for footage.

Mr Kane stated to gardaí interviewing him that he has an injury to his right arm and cannot extend his right arm fully. He demonstrated this for gardaí.

Defence counsel Kevin McCrave submitted that his client had lived all his life at the same address, his mother was in court, and he would abide by any conditions the court saw fit.

The barrister stressed that his client still had the presumption of innocence and that directions from DPP regarding his client's trial venue had yet to be obtained.

He added that Mr Kane, who has yet to indicate a plea, was about to start a new job.

Judge Finan denied the application and remanded him in custody to appear at Cloverhill District Court on July 11. Legal aid was granted.