Ireland Case No. 6327Robbery · Co. Cork
Appeal dismissed in Cork post office robbery case
Fintan Tindley, a 49-year-old former HSE home care assistant with no previous convictions, put a knife to the necks of customers during three post office raids in Cork City in November 2022 to raise money to repay debts from visiting his fiancée in the United States. He was arrested near South Douglas Road shortly after the third raid, charged with nine offences, and pleaded guilty at Cork Circuit Criminal Court in June 2023. He was sentenced to four years in prison, with the final year of each of three concurrent sentences suspended and all backdated to November 2022. The Court of Appeal dismissed the DPP's bid to increase the sentence in March 2024.
- Reportednot reported
- Arrestednot reported
- Chargednot reported
- In court15 Mar
2 reports - Convicted15 Jun
- Sentenced17 Jun
2 reports
reportedhappened, not reportedlatest stagenot yet
Key facts
consolidated from all reports- What happened
- Tindley, a former HSE home care assistant with no previous convictions, put a knife to the necks of customers during three pre-planned post office raids in Cork City in November 2022.
- At the first raid Tindley grabbed a 72-year-old man and took €2,380; at Ballintemple he grabbed a 44-year-old woman and took €1,300; at the third raid he grabbed a 45-year-old woman and fled empty-handed after a staff member pressed a panic button.
- Cause
- He was trying to raise money to repay a €37,000 debt incurred from two trips to the US to visit a woman called Skye, whom he had met online and become engaged to.
- Where
- The raids took place at South Douglas Road Post Office on 11 and 18 November 2022 and at Ballintemple Post Office on 16 November 2022.
- Weapon
- Tindley used a knife, putting it to the necks of customers during the raids.
- Investigation
- Gardaí linked Tindley to all three raids by DNA and CCTV evidence and found the knife in his car when they arrested him less than 500 yards from South Douglas Road Post Office.
- Charges
- Tindley was charged with robbery, attempted robbery, death threats, and producing a knife at three post offices, totalling nine offences.
- In court
- Tindley pleaded guilty to all nine offences at Cork Circuit Criminal Court in June 2023, sparing his victims from giving evidence.
- The Court of Appeal dismissed the DPP's appeal in March 2024, finding the trial judge had not exceeded his discretion in reducing the headline sentence of nine years.
- Sentence
- He was sentenced to four years in prison, with the final year of each of three concurrent sentences suspended and all backdated to November 2022.
- Other details
- Tindley had sent approximately €19,000 to his fiancée via Western Union, using some of the cash from the robbed post offices, and had written letters of apology to each of his five victims.
- A clinical psychologist found Tindley showed signs of ADHD that may have contributed to his impulsive behaviour and assessed him as a low risk of reoffending.
84 statements extracted from the articles
- whatFintan Tindley is 49 years old (irishtimes.com)
- whatTindley is a former health care assistant (irishtimes.com)
- whatA death threat was made to a man at South Douglas Road Post Office on 11 November 2022 (irishtimes.com)
- whatA death threat was made to a woman at Ballintemple Post Office on 16 November 2022 (irishtimes.com)
- whatA death threat was made to a woman at South Douglas Road Post Office on 18 November 2022 (irishtimes.com)
- whatFintan Tindley is a former healthcare assistant (irishtimes.com)
- whatTindley has no previous convictions (irishtimes.com)
- whatTindley is 49 years old (irishtimes.com)
- whatTindley travelled to the US twice the previous year to visit a woman called Skye (irishtimes.com)
- whatTindley and Skye became engaged after striking up a relationship online (irishtimes.com)
- whatTindley obtained loans of €27,000 from the credit union and €10,000 from An Post (irishtimes.com)
- whatTindley borrowed €3,000 from the widow of a man he had taken care of (irishtimes.com)
- whatTindley received €4,000 from another pensioner he had attended (irishtimes.com)
- whatTindley had already sent approximately €19,000 to his fiancée (irishtimes.com)
- whatThe money sent included an amount in excess of €3,000 allegedly stolen during the first two raids (irishtimes.com)
- whatSkye had no idea where the funds had come from and was blameless (irishtimes.com)
- whatTindley was a regular customer at Ballintemple Post Office and knew the staff there (irishtimes.com)
- whatA staff member handed over €2,380 in cash and Tindley fled the South Douglas Road Post Office. (irishtimes.com)
- whatAt Ballintemple the postwoman handed over €1,300 after Tindley demanded €15,000. (irishtimes.com)
- whatOn November 18th Tindley returned to South Douglas Road Post Office and fled empty-handed after a staff member pressed a panic button. (irishtimes.com)
- whatTindley sent €19,000 to a woman in the United States via Western Union, using the post offices he robbed to send some of the cash. (irishtimes.com)
- whatAt the first raid a 72-year-old male customer was grabbed and Tindley took €2,380 from a staff member. (irishtimes.com)
- whatAt the first raid Tindley made off with €2,380. (irishtimes.com)
- whatAt Ballintemple a 44-year-old female customer was grabbed and the postmistress handed over €1,300. (irishtimes.com)
- whatOn 18 November a 45-year-old woman was grabbed and Tindley fled empty-handed after a staff member pressed a panic button. (irishtimes.com)
- whatThe man put a knife to the necks of three customers in three separate post office raids in Cork City. (irishtimes.com)
- whatThe robberies were pre-planned. (irishtimes.com)
- whereTindley lives at Loughmahon Avenue, Mahon, Co Cork (irishtimes.com)
- whereOn November 11th Tindley entered South Douglas Road Post Office, grabbed a 72-year-old man and put a knife to his neck. (irishtimes.com)
- whereOffences were committed at South Douglas Road Post Office in Cork on 11 and 18 November 2022. (irishtimes.com)
- whereA robbery was committed at Ballintemple Post Office in Cork on 16 November 2022. (irishtimes.com)
- whereA robbery took place at Ballintemple Post Office on November 16th, 2022. (irishtimes.com)
- whenFive days later, Tindley, wearing a mask and hat, entered Ballintemple Post Office. (irishtimes.com)
- whenThe South Douglas Road Post Office offences occurred on November 11th and November 18th, 2022. (irishtimes.com)
- causeTindley said he was trying to get money to pay off debts he had built up while visiting his fiancee in the United States. (irishtimes.com)
- causeTindley took out loans totalling €37,000 in January 2022 to travel to the United States. (irishtimes.com)
- causeHe committed the crimes to get money to repay a €37,000 debt from a trip to the US to meet a woman he had met online. (irishtimes.com)
- causeHe was trying to get money to pay off debts incurred when visiting his fiancé in the United States. (irishtimes.com)
- weaponTindley put a knife to the necks of customers in two post offices. (irishtimes.com)
- weaponTindley put a knife to customers' necks during the raids. (irishtimes.com)
- investigationGardaí obtained CCTV footage of Tindley taking off his mask and hat after the Ballintemple raid. (irishtimes.com)
- investigationGardaí arrested Tindley near a shop on South Douglas Road and found the knife used in the raids in his car. (irishtimes.com)
- investigationTindley made admissions in his second garda interview. (irishtimes.com)
- investigationGardaí found a list of nine post offices in the Cork region that Tindley is believed to have identified as possible targets. (irishtimes.com)
- investigationGardaí caught Tindley less than 500 yards from the South Douglas Road Post Office soon after the failed raid on 18 November. (irishtimes.com)
- investigationGardaí linked the man to all three raids by DNA and CCTV evidence. (irishtimes.com)
- chargeTindley was previously charged with robbery and attempted robbery of South Douglas Road Post Office on 11 and 18 November 2022 (irishtimes.com)
- chargeTindley was previously charged with robbery at Ballintemple Post Office on 16 November 2022 (irishtimes.com)
- chargeTindley was charged on 15 March 2023 with three new offences (irishtimes.com)
- chargeThe death threat charge is under the Non-Fatal Offences Against the Person Act (irishtimes.com)
- chargeDet Garda Kevin Motherway charged Tindley with three counts of producing a knife at the three post offices (irishtimes.com)
- chargeTindley is charged with robbery and attempted robbery of South Douglas Road Post Office on 11 and 18 November 2022 (irishtimes.com)
- chargeTindley is charged with robbery at Ballintemple Post Office on 16 November 2022 (irishtimes.com)
- chargeTindley faces death threat charges at three post offices on 11, 16, and 18 November 2022 (irishtimes.com)
- chargeTindley faces three charges of producing a knife at post offices (irishtimes.com)
- chargeTindley pleaded guilty to nine separate offences arising from three post office incidents in November 2022. (irishtimes.com)
- chargeTindley pleaded guilty to nine offences. (irishtimes.com)
- chargeThe man pleaded guilty to nine separate offences arising from robberies and an attempted robbery. (irishtimes.com)
- courtSgt Pat Lyons applied for Tindley to be remanded in custody until 22 March 2023 (irishtimes.com)
- courtDefence solicitor Michael Quinlan said Tindley consented to the remand application (irishtimes.com)
- courtJudge Olann Kelleher remanded Tindley in custody to appear again on 22 March 2023 (irishtimes.com)
- courtTindley is to be sent forward for trial to the next sitting of Cork Circuit Criminal Court in April (irishtimes.com)
- courtTindley will be tried in connection with all nine offences (irishtimes.com)
- courtFree legal aid has been assigned in the case (irishtimes.com)
- courtTindley was remanded in custody until 17 April (irishtimes.com)
- courtThe court heard victim impact statements from four of the five people caught up in the raids. (irishtimes.com)
- courtThe case was heard at Cork Circuit Criminal Court. (irishtimes.com)
- courtTindley had no previous convictions. (irishtimes.com)
- courtTindley's guilty plea spared his victims from giving evidence. (irishtimes.com)
- courtThe State failed in its bid to have a four-year jail term increased for a former HSE home care assistant. (irishtimes.com)
- courtThe DPP argued the sentencing judge gave too much weight to mitigating factors. (irishtimes.com)
- courtThe court believed the trial judge had indicated the correct headline sentence of nine years. (irishtimes.com)
- courtThe Court of Appeal found the DPP had not proved the trial judge exceeded his discretion, and dismissed the appeal. (irishtimes.com)
- sentenceTindley was jailed for four years. (irishtimes.com)
- sentenceThe judge suspended the final year of each sentence. (irishtimes.com)
- sentenceAll three sentences run concurrently and are backdated to November 2022. (irishtimes.com)
- sentenceThe sentences were backdated to November, when Tindley went into custody. (irishtimes.com)
- sentenceHe was sentenced at Cork Circuit Criminal Court to four years in jail. (irishtimes.com)
- sentenceThe penalty was reduced to five years with one year suspended. (irishtimes.com)
- otherTindley had no previous convictions and had never come to garda attention before these incidents. (irishtimes.com)
- otherTindley is a former HSE Home Care Assistant. (irishtimes.com)
- otherTindley had written letters of apology to each of his five victims. (irishtimes.com)
- otherA clinical psychologist found Tindley showed signs of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder that may have contributed to his impulsive behaviour. (irishtimes.com)
- otherA psychologist's report assessed Tindley as a low risk of reoffending. (irishtimes.com)
The reporting
newest first- 13 Mar2024Court dismisses bid to increase jail term for man who raided three Cork post offices in a week
Reports that the Court of Appeal dismissed the DPP's appeal against the sentence of Fintan Tindley, who was sentenced at Cork Circuit Criminal Court to five years with one year suspended.
convicted, Fintan Tindley, 50, male, named, irish (judged from name)Fintan Tindleyvictim, 72, malevictim, 44, femalevictim, 45, female - 17 Jun2023Man jailed for four years after holding up post offices to pay for trip to meet fiancee in US
Cork Circuit Criminal Court sentencing: four years to serve after the final year of each sentence was suspended, all three sentences concurrent and backdated to November 2022. The article gives Tindley's age as 49, while the existing record says 50.
convicted, Fintan Tindley, 49, male, named, irish (judged from name)Fintan Tindleyvictim, 72, malevictim, 44, femalevictim, 45, female - 15 Jun2023Man raided Cork post offices with a knife to pay off debt from visiting fiancee in US
Reports Tindley's guilty plea to nine offences, the court's account of the three raids, the victim impact statements, the mitigation and the adjournment for sentence until Friday with remand in custody.
convicted, Fintan Tindley, 49, male, named, irish (judged from name)Fintan Tindleyvictim, 72, malevictim, femalevictim, 44, femalevictim, femalevictim, 45, female - 29 Mar2023Man accused of carrying out post office raids to raise money to visit his fiancée in the US sent forward for trial
Reports Tindley being sent forward for trial at Cork District Court on 29 March 2023, with details on his alleged motive (raising money to visit fiancée Skye in the US), the nine specific charges, evidence of loans taken and money sent to his fiancée, and his remand in custody until 17 April 2023.
accused, Fintan Tindley, 49, male, named, irish (judged from name)Fintan Tindley - 15 Mar2023Man accused of Cork post office robberies is charged over alleged death threats
Three new death threat charges and three knife production charges added to existing robbery charges; remanded in custody to 22 March 2023 for preparation of a book of evidence.
accused, Fintan Tindley, 49, male, named, irish (judged from name)Fintan Tindleyvictim, malevictim, femalevictim, female