On This Day / October 3, 1970
Go BackReproduced with permission from The Irish News.
19701003
Reference Date
19701003
Publication Date
Listen Along in Éamons Voice
Summary: On This Day – 3rd October 1970, a Strabane bank raid nearly failed when a suitcase burst, and the Arms Trial judge resigned, ordering a retrial. Edited by historian Dr Éamon Phoenix.
Bank Raiders’ Suitcase Bursts | On This Day – 3rd October 1920
A SUITCASE with a faulty lock almost cost three bank raiders – and the girl driver of their getaway car – a £5,000 haul in Strabane yesterday.
For as the hold-up men raced to the car, which sat with engine running and with the girl at the wheel outside the Strabane branch of the Belfast Bank, the suitcase carried by one of them burst open and bundles of notes scattered in the street.
As one of the men menaced an onlooker with a revolver, another scooped up the money but left £412 behind.
Pursued by two RUC cars, the raiders sped for the Lifford border and escaped.
Gardai were immediately alerted and the search was concentrated on the Southern side, but with close watch also being kept by police and Army patrols on the Northern side to forestall any move to re-cross the border.
Two shots were fired during the raid but no-one was wounded.
An RUC spokesman said that it was a well-executed hold-up, but that it almost came unstuck because of the use of a suitcase with a faulty fastener. The raiders got away with £4,600.
The bank manager and cashier were ‘coshed’ during the hold-up and four clerks were ordered to lie on the floor. The raiders were all young.
Mr J H McCurdy, the manager, said he was on his way to the safe when a boy jumped over the counter onto his back.
‘I tried to hold on to him, but he hit me over the head with a revolver a couple of times, but not too hard,’ he said.
‘Another boy then came and they put me in the strong-room and closed the door.’
Arms Trial Sensation as Judge Resigns | On This Day – 3rd October 1920
Mr Justice O’Keeffe yesterday ordered a re-trial of four men accused of arms offences after defence counsel criticised his conduct of the trial.
He discharged the jury and ordered a re-trial before another judge and jury. He said he had taken the decision with the greatest reluctance.
Accused, who include Charles Haughey, former Minister of Finance and Captain James Kelly, are charged with conspiring together and with others unknown to import arms into Ireland.
They have pleaded not guilty.
The judge said that before the lunch adjournment Mr Ernest Wood, counsel for Albert Lukyx [a Belgian businessman] had made allegations about the trial judge.
Mr Wood had accused the judge of ‘having unnecessary personal details strutted out’ about his client.
Mr Wood added: ‘I strongly suspect this is because my Lord thinks this will hurt my client. This is illustrative of the rather unfair tone in which your Lordship has conducted the trial.’
Further Reading:
List of other On This Day columns
Other resources: National Library of Ireland Irish News CAIN Archive
19701003
Reference Date
19701003
Publication Date
Listen Along in Éamons Voice
Listen Along in Éamons Voice
Summary: On This Day – 3rd October 1970, a Strabane bank raid nearly failed when a suitcase burst, and the Arms Trial judge resigned, ordering a retrial. Edited by historian Dr Éamon Phoenix.
Bank Raiders’ Suitcase Bursts | On This Day – 3rd October 1920
A SUITCASE with a faulty lock almost cost three bank raiders – and the girl driver of their getaway car – a £5,000 haul in Strabane yesterday.
For as the hold-up men raced to the car, which sat with engine running and with the girl at the wheel outside the Strabane branch of the Belfast Bank, the suitcase carried by one of them burst open and bundles of notes scattered in the street.
As one of the men menaced an onlooker with a revolver, another scooped up the money but left £412 behind.
Pursued by two RUC cars, the raiders sped for the Lifford border and escaped.
Gardai were immediately alerted and the search was concentrated on the Southern side, but with close watch also being kept by police and Army patrols on the Northern side to forestall any move to re-cross the border.
Two shots were fired during the raid but no-one was wounded.
An RUC spokesman said that it was a well-executed hold-up, but that it almost came unstuck because of the use of a suitcase with a faulty fastener. The raiders got away with £4,600.
The bank manager and cashier were ‘coshed’ during the hold-up and four clerks were ordered to lie on the floor. The raiders were all young.
Mr J H McCurdy, the manager, said he was on his way to the safe when a boy jumped over the counter onto his back.
‘I tried to hold on to him, but he hit me over the head with a revolver a couple of times, but not too hard,’ he said.
‘Another boy then came and they put me in the strong-room and closed the door.’
Arms Trial Sensation as Judge Resigns | On This Day – 3rd October 1920
Mr Justice O’Keeffe yesterday ordered a re-trial of four men accused of arms offences after defence counsel criticised his conduct of the trial.
He discharged the jury and ordered a re-trial before another judge and jury. He said he had taken the decision with the greatest reluctance.
Accused, who include Charles Haughey, former Minister of Finance and Captain James Kelly, are charged with conspiring together and with others unknown to import arms into Ireland.
They have pleaded not guilty.
The judge said that before the lunch adjournment Mr Ernest Wood, counsel for Albert Lukyx [a Belgian businessman] had made allegations about the trial judge.
Mr Wood had accused the judge of ‘having unnecessary personal details strutted out’ about his client.
Mr Wood added: ‘I strongly suspect this is because my Lord thinks this will hurt my client. This is illustrative of the rather unfair tone in which your Lordship has conducted the trial.’
Further Reading:
List of other On This Day columns
Other resources: National Library of Ireland Irish News CAIN Archive
19701003
Reference Date
October 3, 2020
Publication Date
Listen Along in Éamons Voice *
Summary: On This Day – 3rd October 1970, a Strabane bank raid nearly failed when a suitcase burst, and the Arms Trial judge resigned, ordering a retrial. Edited by historian Dr Éamon Phoenix.
Bank Raiders’ Suitcase Bursts | On This Day – 3rd October 1920
A SUITCASE with a faulty lock almost cost three bank raiders – and the girl driver of their getaway car – a £5,000 haul in Strabane yesterday.
For as the hold-up men raced to the car, which sat with engine running and with the girl at the wheel outside the Strabane branch of the Belfast Bank, the suitcase carried by one of them burst open and bundles of notes scattered in the street.
As one of the men menaced an onlooker with a revolver, another scooped up the money but left £412 behind.
Pursued by two RUC cars, the raiders sped for the Lifford border and escaped.
Gardai were immediately alerted and the search was concentrated on the Southern side, but with close watch also being kept by police and Army patrols on the Northern side to forestall any move to re-cross the border.
Two shots were fired during the raid but no-one was wounded.
An RUC spokesman said that it was a well-executed hold-up, but that it almost came unstuck because of the use of a suitcase with a faulty fastener. The raiders got away with £4,600.
The bank manager and cashier were ‘coshed’ during the hold-up and four clerks were ordered to lie on the floor. The raiders were all young.
Mr J H McCurdy, the manager, said he was on his way to the safe when a boy jumped over the counter onto his back.
‘I tried to hold on to him, but he hit me over the head with a revolver a couple of times, but not too hard,’ he said.
‘Another boy then came and they put me in the strong-room and closed the door.’
Arms Trial Sensation as Judge Resigns | On This Day – 3rd October 1920
Mr Justice O’Keeffe yesterday ordered a re-trial of four men accused of arms offences after defence counsel criticised his conduct of the trial.
He discharged the jury and ordered a re-trial before another judge and jury. He said he had taken the decision with the greatest reluctance.
Accused, who include Charles Haughey, former Minister of Finance and Captain James Kelly, are charged with conspiring together and with others unknown to import arms into Ireland.
They have pleaded not guilty.
The judge said that before the lunch adjournment Mr Ernest Wood, counsel for Albert Lukyx [a Belgian businessman] had made allegations about the trial judge.
Mr Wood had accused the judge of ‘having unnecessary personal details strutted out’ about his client.
Mr Wood added: ‘I strongly suspect this is because my Lord thinks this will hurt my client. This is illustrative of the rather unfair tone in which your Lordship has conducted the trial.’
Further Reading:
List of other On This Day columns
Other resources: National Library of Ireland Irish News CAIN Archive
On This Day is a daily column in the Irish News looking back either 50 or 100 years. The column was compiled by Dr Éamon Phoenix from the mid 1980s until autumn, 2022. The Foundation is very grateful to the Irish News for giving permission to reproduce Eamon’s columns. Funding gratefully received from Ireland’s Department of Foreign Affairs and the Magill Trust.
* The Foundation has worked hard to recreate Eamon’s distinctive voice through AI. Since this is an emerging technology, occasional imperfections may be audible.