Alleged robber avoids fines

A man alleged to have been part of a gang involved in an armed robbery in which £10,000 was stolen, has avoided paying fines he owed for previous matters, by having them replaced with custodial terms to run alongside his current remand in custody in connection with a cash-in-transit raid.
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26-year-old Jason Kennedy, of Drumtarsey Road, Coleraine, appeared via video link at Coleraine Magistrates Court on Monday. He was further remanded in custody.

A defence solicitor said his client had been paying fines off at the amount of £40 a month, but since being remanded in custody in July and being refused High Court bail he has been unable to do so. The court granted a defence request for payment of fines to be replaced with an immediate three days in custody.

A previous court heard that a gun was placed on the back of a cash-in-transit van security guard’s leg during an armed robbery in which £10,000 was stolen in Coleraine on Saturday July 18.

Kennedy was charged with robbery and possession of a firearm with intent in relation to the incident.

A police officer said he believed Kennedy was the get-away driver.

The officer said he believed he could connect the accused to the charges and said around 2pm on the Saturday staff at B&M in the Riverside Retail Park in Coleraine said £10,000 had been picked up and the security guard was then robbed by two males, one with a handgun and the other with a crowbar.

Kennedy was arrested at his home and the court heard the vehicle was bought the day before.

The defence solicitor pointed out that nothing had been found during a search at Kennedy’s home.

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