Andrew Carey
A LADBROKES employee was dragged along the ground by a robber attempting to steal her handbag full of betting shop takings before a Good Samaritan beat off her assailant with a bag of books, a court has heard.
The trial of a 39-year-old Limerick man has been told that it was policy for female members of Ladbrokes office betting staff to place cash in their handbags before leaving to lodge it at the Post Office.
Geoffrey O’Donoghue, with an address at Johnsgate and formerly of Parnell St, pleaded not guilty to attacking the Ladbrokes employee, Mairead Lawless and attempting to rob her as she went to lodge the betting office takings on October 25, 2012 last.
In her evidence, Ms Lawless said that she placed €1,800 in cash, together with over €130 in coin, into a retail lodgement bag and then into her handbag as was policy for staff at the time.
After lunchtime on the date in question, Ms Lawless left the Ladbrokes shop on John Street in Limerick and walked towards Church Street on the way to the Post Office to make the lodgement before she was attacked by a man wearing a dark hoody.
Ms Lawless told the jury of ten men and two women that she recognised some people outside Sean’s Shop as she passed them before continuing in the direction of Coasters Off Licence.
“The next thing was I felt something pull the strap of my bag and due to the force of the tug I was pulled around and could see a man grabbing my handbag.”
The court heard that the assailant was shouting “give me the bag, give me the bag”, while Ms Lawless shouted “no, no, no” as she tried to hold on to the bag with the takings.
Ms Lawless described how she was “dragged to the ground as the man was still shouting at me, so I started shouting and screaming too”.
The jury was told that the Ladbrokes employee screamed for help as she lay on the ground grappling to hold on to her bag. She also described that her attacker wore distinctive blue shoes with a white trim.
A man ran to her assistance and Ms Lawless described how he helped to fight off her attacker.
Armed with a bag of books, the Good Samaritan “began to beat him around the head” she said.
A second man, along with his young child, also ran to the woman’s assistance and dragged the assailant off. She said that the attacker left the scene in the direction of John Street.
Ms Lawless said that a number of days later, while she was walking to Sean’s Shop during her lunch break, she was able to identify her attacker outside the convenience store as “the man who tried to rob me”.
The betting shop employee said that her attacker “was inches from my face during it” and that she knew the man and described him to gardai as being “from around the area”.
The woman suffered bruising to her shoulder as well as a blood shot eye.
During cross examination, Ms Lawless denied she was unable to identify her attacker.
“I was able to identify the man as he was known to me” she said when defence counsel Antoinette Simon put the question of identification to the court.
Ms Simon said that it would have been impossible for Ms Lawless to identify her attacker as CCTV footage showed her assailant as wearing a dark hoody with the hood up. The whole incident she said lasted no more than 45 seconds and that Ms Lawless could not have identified the attacker from her position on the ground.
The trial continues before Judge Tom O’Donnell.
