Former GAA player jailed for ten years over ATM thefts

A former All Ireland club football winner, has been jailed for ten years for his part in a series of ATM robberies in the northeast during which hundreds of thousands of euro were stolen.

Daniel O'Callaghan, aged 32, from Crossmaglen in County Armagh, was convicted last month of a number of offences relating to the thefts in Meath, Cavan and Monaghan in 2018 and 2019.

Three County Monaghan brothers were jailed last week for their part in the same robberies.

Gardaí foiled the gang’s operation as they attempted their sixth ATM raid on Main Street in Virginia, County Cavan on 14 August 2019.

They had stolen more than €700,000 in raids across the north-east - an amount described by Judge Tara Burns as an "eye watering" sum.

Daniel O’Callaghan managed to get away when gardaí arrived in Virginia, with the digger metres from the ATM.

But O’Callaghan was a former All Ireland club football champion for Crossmaglen Rangers and he was recognised at the scene by two specialist gardaí. His DNA was also found in a nearby outhouse.

O’Callaghan denied all the charges but was convicted after a trial, of 16 offences, including theft, money laundering and possession of stolen money.

Judge Burns said he was "intimately involved" in the workings of the criminal gang and in planning the thefts. Brothers Gerard, Ciaran and Stephen Duffy were jailed on Friday for their part in the robberies.

Niall Finnegan, aged 39, was jailed last November for possessing more than €100,000 at Tullypole in County Meath in August 2019.

Ms Justice Burns said this morning that Daniel O’Callaghan played a central role as a planner and active member of a well-oiled criminal organisation. She said he contested the charges against him despite being caught red-handed.

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