The long arm of the law stretched all the way to Holland to find and extradite 29 year old Eugene ‘The Devil’ Cullen, who denied the robbery of 28 Rolex and 18 Cartier Watches valued at €108,887, from Hartmann’s Jewellers, William Street, Galway, on November 28, 2008.
He first appeared before Galway Circuit Criminal Court in 2009 where he denied the charges. Now a ten year jail term has been handed down to the Galway born criminal whose gang held staff at gunpoint during the raid.
Cullen skipped the country while awaiting trial and disappeared to Holland. He was arrested in The Netherlands in May of last year and has been in custody since that time.
Cullen – nicknamed ‘The Devil’ – is a close associate of shaven headed gang boss ‘Fat’ Freddie Thompson. It is understood that Cullen spent his time on the run based in safe houses in Birmingham, Amsterdam and Spain’s Costa del Crime.
Addressing the sentencing hearing, Detective Sgt. John McElroy said Cullen was one of three masked and armed men who entered the jewellery shop around 1.pm in late November 2008. Cullen was in possession of a pistol with a silencer attached while the other two men had iron bars.
A customer and staff were ordered to lie face down, while Cullen used a gun to smash a glass cabinet containing the watches. Other gang members swept the shelves of watches into a pillowcase.
Cathriona Hartmann, cried for help while pressing a panic button. Cullen pointed the gun at her, but she continued to press the button and screamed louder. Meanwhile, a female member of staff, ordered to lie on the floor near the cabinet, was kicked and trod on by the gang.
They escaped into a waiting BMW, but they abandoned the car when it was stuck in traffic a short distance away at Waterside. A blue Volvo, another getaway car, was waiting for them but they were intercepted by Garda Angelina McCormack at a roundabout in Oranmore. She tried removing the keys from the ignition when the car stopped at traffic lights but the gang managed to drive off in the direction of Dublin.
Gardai combed the area and eventually Cullen and another man were apprehended while walking on the railway line near Derrydonnell, Athenry, eight miles from Galway City. Cullen was uncooperative during questioning and subsequently escaped to The Netherlands.
According to Sgt McElroy, staff were traumatised following the raid, but have since made a good recovery. Cullen has 77 previous convictions and is currently serving a five-year sentence imposed earlier in the week, for robbing a father and son of the sum of €3,000.
Presiding Judge Rory McCabe remarked that the crime was extremely severe and deserved a 12-year sentence. The offence was heightened by the use of a gun, threats of violence, actual violence and premeditation. According to the judge, the only mitigating factor was Cullen’s plea. He was sentenced to ten years in prison, which was backdated to May 5 last. So from having plenty of time in his hands, Cullen now finds himself with plenty of time on his hands.
