'The boys are gone, you will never get them', gardai investigating Adrian Donohoe murder were told

James Flynn, a 31-year-old from Newry in Northern Ireland, was refused bail at the Special Criminal Court on Friday following his extradition from the United Kingdom. He faces charges relating to the January 2013 robbery of Lordship Credit Union in Bellurgan, County Louth, during which Detective Garda Adrian Donohoe was fatally shot. Justice Tara Burns determined that Mr Flynn presented a substantial flight risk. The court heard evidence that after gardaí travelled to Boston at the invitation of Mr Flynn's father to conduct an interview, they were told "the boys are gone, you will never get them" and found the accused no longer present. This followed a nine-year period during which he had absconded to the United States and the United Kingdom. The presiding judge noted the strength of the prosecution's anticipated evidence was sufficient to raise concern regarding potential conviction. Accordingly, Mr Flynn was remanded in custody pending trial. The case involves coordinated criminal activity across the border region. Staff from Lordship Credit Union and Cooley Credit Union described a violent assault as they prepared to transport takings to Dundalk under Garda escort. Three men forced entry to a vehicle and stole approximately seven thousand euro in cash and cheques before shots were fired, fatally wounding Detective Donohoe. Mr Flynn and co-accused Brendan Treanor face additional charges of conspiracy to commit creeper-style burglaries across four counties between September 2012 and January 2013. Both have pleaded not guilty to all charges. The trial was scheduled for January 2023, with the Special Criminal Court to hear evidence spanning both the robbery and the broader burglary conspiracy allegations. The case has significant implications for the investigation into the killing of the detective during what prosecutors characterise as a calculated criminal enterprise.