A HSE home-care assistant has been charged in connection with three separate post office robberies in Cork over the last ten days.
Gardaí objected to bail on the grounds that the man allegedly committed the offences in order to fund a trip to the States to see his fiancée whom he had met online.
Fintan Tindley, aged 49, of Loughmahon Avenue in Mahon on the southside of Cork city, appeared before a special sitting of Cork District Court today.
Gardaí objected to bail on the grounds that they feared that Mr Tindley was a flight risk.
Detective Garda Kevin Motherway told Judge Marian O'Leary that Mr Tindley had travelled to the US in March and July of this year to meet up with a woman called Skye whom he had met on social media. The couple are now engaged.
Det Garda Motherway said that Mr Tindley was making plans to travel to the States again prior to his arrest and that his fiancée had no idea of his alleged wrongdoing.
Det Garda Motherway said the State would allege that Mr Tindley had already transferred €19,000 to Skye.
He said that Mr Tindley had told gardaí after caution that he had sent her the funds he had taken in the post office robberies, which involved sums of over €3,000.
He said that the State would also allege that Mr Tindley had obtained loans of €27,000 from the credit union and €10,000 from An Post.
The State would also claim that Mr Tindley had received a loan of €3,000 from a widow whom he visited as part of his work, and €400 from another elderly person whom he also attended as a home-care assistant.
Meanwhile, Mr Tindley was charged with two counts of robbery and one count of attempted robbery at post offices in Douglas and Ballintemple in Cork within the last ten days.
He is charged with the robbery and attempted robbery of South Douglas Road Post Office on 11 and 18 November and with robbery at Ballintemple Post Office on 16 November.
Det Gda Motherway said that he arrested the defendant on the South Douglas Road on the southside of the city on Friday shortly before 2pm. Mr Tindley was subsequently charged and replied "I'm sorry" when the three charges were put to him under caution.
Inspector Sean Leahy said that gardaí were making an objection to bail in the case. Det Garda Motherway said that gardaí feared that if Mr Tindley received bail, he might commit offences or interfere with witnesses. He also said that Mr Tindley was a flight risk.
He also objected to bail citing the gravity of the offence. He said that the evidence that gardaí had compiled against the accused was exceptionally strong adding that Mr Tindley had made admissions after caution at garda interview.
Det Garda Motherway was cross-examined by solicitor Daithí Ó Donnabháin who was representing Mr Tindley.
The garda acknowledged that Mr Tindley was without previous convictions and had never come to garda attention in his life.
He also confirmed that Mr Tindley's fiancée had no idea of how he had obtained the money she had received until she was contacted by officers in this country.
Judge O'Leary declined to grant bail in the case. She remanded Mr Tindley in custody to appear in court by video link on Wednesday 23 November.
Free legal aid was granted in the case after the judge heard that the accused is likely to lose his job arising out of the alleged offences.
