An armed robber who a judge branded "amongst the all-time stupidest criminals” has been jailed for his part in a robbery in which the thieves had to be rescued by the fire department.
According to the Irish Times, Gary Byrne, of Dublin, Ireland, masterminded a raid on a gold storage business. Byrne left the scene of the robbery locking the security shutters behind him, trapping his two accomplices, Ian Jordan and Aidan Murphy, inside in the process.
Ireland.com reports that Jordan and Murphy were trapped at the scene of the crime, along with two staff members who the gang had bound and gagged.
The pair reportedly attempted to escape through the ceiling tiles and also attempted to knock a hole in a wall using hammers. They were, however, unsuccessful. Breakingnews.ie reports that before the pair could make their escape, they could hear police radios outside.
Unable to escape, fire services had to cut through the security shutters to release the trapped robbers, at which point they were taken into custody by police.
The Irish Independent reports that Judge Donagh McDonagh described the raid as "one of the most farcical cases in recent criminal history in Dublin" and said that Byrne "ranks amongst the all-time stupidest criminals to come before the courts."
Unfortunately for Byrne, the judge said, "One thing is for sure his ineptitude and stupidity does not, in any way, reduce his culpability," according to RTE.ie.
Byrne, who was to be the gang's getaway driver, was sentenced to seven years for attempted robbery, possession of an imitation firearm, and two counts of false imprisonment, according to Irishcentral.com. The judge seemed to feel sorry for the hapless criminal, telling him that he would give him “the benefit of his stupidity” and suspend the final two years.