Editing Northern Bank robbery

{{short description|Large bank robbery in Belfast, Northern Ireland}}
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{{Use British English|date=November 2024}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2024}}
[[File:Northern_Bank,_Belfast,_May_2010.JPG|thumb|alt=Bank building|[[Northern Bank Headquarters|Northern Bank headquarters]] at [[Donegall Square]], Belfast]]
On 20 December 2004, £26.5&nbsp;million{{efn|name=26m}} in cash was stolen from the [[Northern Bank Headquarters|headquarters]] of [[Northern Bank]] on [[Donegall Square|Donegall Square West]] in [[Belfast]], Northern Ireland. Having taken family members of two bank officials hostage, an armed gang forced the workers to help them steal both used and unused [[pound sterling]] banknotes. The money was then loaded into a van and driven away in two trips. This was one of the [[List of heists in the United Kingdom|largest bank robberies]] in the history of the United Kingdom.

The [[Police Service of Northern Ireland]] (PSNI), the [[Independent Monitoring Commission]] (IMC), the [[British government]] and the [[Taoiseach]] all claimed the [[Provisional Irish Republican Army]] (IRA) was responsible. This was denied by the IRA and by [[Sinn Féin]]. Throughout 2005, the police forces in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland made arrests and carried out house searches. A sum of £2.3&nbsp;million{{efn|name=2.3m}} was impounded at the house of a financial adviser, Ted Cunningham, in [[County Cork]] and [[Phil Flynn]] was forced to resign as chairman of the [[Bank of Scotland (Ireland)]], because he was a director of one of Cunningham's companies. Cunningham was convicted in 2009 of [[money laundering]], had his conviction quashed in 2012 and was convicted at retrial in 2014. Chris Ward, one of the bank officials threatened by the gang, was arrested in November 2005 and charged with [[robbery]]. The prosecution offered no evidence at trial and he was released.

Northern Bank announced soon after the heist that it would replace its own [[Banknotes of Northern Ireland|bank notes]], in denominations of £5, £10, £20, £50 and £100. Alongside the [[murder of Robert McCartney]] in 2005, the robbery adversely affected the [[Northern Ireland peace process]]. It damaged the relationship between the Taoiseach [[Bertie Ahern]] and the Sinn Féin representatives [[Gerry Adams]] and [[Martin McGuinness]]. Although Cunningham and several others were eventually convicted of crimes uncovered during the investigation, nobody has ever been held directly responsible for the robbery.

==Robbery==
In the early 2000s, [[Northern Bank]] (now Danske Bank) was the largest retail bank in Northern Ireland, with 95 branches. It was then owned by [[National Australia Bank]] and its [[Northern Bank Headquarters|headquarters]] were at [[Donegall Square|Donegall Square West]] in Belfast. It was one of four banks in Northern Ireland permitted to print its own [[Northern Ireland banknotes|bank notes]], in denominations of £5, £10, £20, £50 and £100.<ref name="Common" />

On the night of Sunday 19 December 2004, groups of armed men arrived at the homes of two employees of Northern Bank, one in [[Downpatrick]], [[County Down]], the other in [[Poleglass]], west Belfast.<ref name="Timeline">{{cite news |title=Timeline: Northern Bank robbery |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/4117219.stm |access-date=3 November 2020 |work=BBC News |date=7 January 2005 |archive-date=17 October 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071017134110/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/4117219.stm |url-status=live }}</ref> Chris Ward was taken from his house in County Down and driven to Poleglass, where Kevin McMullan (his supervisor at the bank) had been tied up by men disguised as officers from the [[Police Service of Northern Ireland]] (PSNI). Gunmen remained at Ward's home, keeping his family hostage. McMullan's wife was taken from her home and held at an unknown location. The criminals left at 06:00 on Monday morning, 20 December, having instructed the two workers to report for work as normal at the bank's headquarters.<ref name="Timeline" />

The gang constantly kept in touch with McMullan and Ward using mobile telephones it had given them. The two men were ordered to tell staff to go home early and to fill a bag with £1&nbsp;million in £50 and £100 notes. Ward was then instructed to leave the bank carrying the bag and go to a bus stop in nearby Upper Queen Street, where one of the robbers picked it up. This was later regarded as being a test run for the main [[List of heists in the United Kingdom|theft]] in the evening.<ref name="Moore">{{cite book |last1=Moore |first1=Chris |title=Ripe for the picking: The inside story of the Northern Bank robbery |date=2006 |publisher=Gill & Macmillan |location=Dublin |isbn=978-0717140015 }}</ref>{{rp|17}} McMullan and Ward remained at work after the close of business and were instructed to load crates of banknotes onto trolleys.<ref name="Timeline" /> Having told the security staff they would be wheeling out rubbish for collection, they made four trips to move the trolleys from the basement to the bullion bay, where money was normally picked up and dropped off. They covered the crates with office furniture and empty cardboard boxes to disguise them. After Ward called the gang, a white van came to the headquarters and was permitted by security to enter the bay, where it took the two bank employees 15 minutes to load everything in.<ref name="Moore"/>{{rp|20–21}} The criminals said they would come back to pick up more trolleys, ordering Ward and McMullan to fill up as many as possible. By the time the van returned, the workers had only filled two more, which were again wheeled up from basement to the van.<ref name="Moore" />{{rp|22–23}} They then locked up the bank, setting alarms and leaving as usual; they drove to Ward's house, where the masked men were still guarding his family. At around 21:00, the criminals left, carefully erasing any forensic trace of their presence by scrubbing surfaces down and taking away cups they had used.<ref name="Moore" />{{rp|23–24}} After twenty minutes, McMullan left and drove back to his house.<ref name="Moore" />{{rp|25}} Around this time, McMullan's wife was driven to [[Drumkeeragh Forest]] near [[Ballynahinch, County Down|Ballynahinch]] and released. She found her way to a house to raise the alarm and was treated for [[hypothermia]].<ref name="Timeline" /> At 23:00, following his final instructions, Ward called the police to inform them the robbery had taken place.<ref name="Moore" />{{rp|25}}

The criminals took £26.5&nbsp;million{{efn|name=26m|Equivalent to £{{Inflation|UK|26.5|2004|r=1}}&nbsp;million in {{Inflation/year|UK}}{{Inflation/fn|UK}}}}: £16.5&nbsp;million in uncirculated Northern Bank [[pound sterling]] banknotes; £5.5&nbsp;million in used Northern Bank sterling notes; £4.5&nbsp;million in used notes supplied by other banks and smaller cash amounts in other currencies including [[euro]]s and US dollars.<ref name="Moore" />{{rp|38}}<ref name="Glendinning">{{cite news |last1=Glendinning |first1=Lee |title=Northern Bank robbery: The crime that nearly ended the Northern Ireland peace process |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2008/oct/09/northernbankrobbery.background |access-date=3 November 2020 |work=The Guardian |date=9 October 2008 |archive-date=30 September 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130930220248/http://www.theguardian.com/uk/2008/oct/09/northernbankrobbery.background |url-status=live }}</ref> The new and uncirculated notes (£9&nbsp;million in £20 notes and £7.5&nbsp;million in £10 notes) would be hard to launder since the bank immediately announced the serial numbers, but the used notes were untraceable.<ref name="Moore" />{{rp|38}} The police quickly set up an investigation composed of 50 detectives. Assistant Chief Constable Sam Kincaid commented "this was not a lucky crime, this was a well-organised crime".<ref name="BT-181214">{{cite news |title=10 facts about the IRA's £26.5m raid on Northern Bank |url=https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/northern-ireland/10-facts-about-the-iras-265m-raid-on-northern-bank-30848746.html |access-date=3 November 2020 |work=Belfast Telegraph |date=18 December 2014 |archive-date=14 May 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200514150146/https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/northern-ireland/10-facts-about-the-iras-265m-raid-on-northern-bank-30848746.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Initial responses==
[[File:Sir Hugh Orde.jpg|thumb|alt=Man photographed from waist up wearing suit and tie|right|[[Hugh Orde]], [[Chief Constable]] of the [[Police Service of Northern Ireland]], accused the [[Provisional Irish Republican Army]] (IRA) of organising the robbery.]]
[[File:Gerry Adams and Martin McGuinness.jpg|thumb|right|[[Sinn Féin]] lead negotiator [[Martin McGuinness]] (seen here on right with [[Gerry Adams]] on left) denied that the IRA were behind the heist.|alt=Photograph of two smiling men in crowd]]
Although the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) initially refused to be drawn as to who might be involved, several commentators, including journalist [[Kevin Myers]] writing in ''[[The Daily Telegraph]]'', quickly blamed the [[Provisional Irish Republican Army]] (IRA).<ref>{{cite news |title=The price of peace? £22m in cash |first=Kevin |last=Myers |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/opinion/main.jhtml?xml=/opinion/2004/12/26/do2606.xml |work=The Daily Telegraph |date=26 December 2004 |access-date=11 March 2007 |archive-date=2 March 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070302030355/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/opinion/main.jhtml?xml=%2Fopinion%2F2004%2F12%2F26%2Fdo2606.xml |url-status=dead }}</ref> One senior police officer quoted in ''[[The Guardian]]'' newspaper said: "This operation required great expertise and coordination, probably more than the loyalist gangs possess".<ref name="Common">{{cite news |title=£20m stolen in UK's biggest bank robbery&nbsp;– was it paramilitaries or common criminals? |first1=Owen |last1=Bowcott |first2=Ted |last2=Oliver |name-list-style=amp |url=https://www.theguardian.com/Northern_Ireland/Story/0,2763,1378547,00.html |work=The Guardian |date=22 December 2004 |access-date=11 March 2007 |archive-date=3 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201103154413/https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2004/dec/22/ukcrime.northernireland |url-status=live }}</ref>

On 7 January 2005, the [[Chief Constable]] of the PSNI [[Hugh Orde]] issued an interim report in which he blamed the Provisional IRA for the robbery.<ref name="BBC mult">{{cite news |title=Police say IRA behind bank raid |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/4154657.stm |work=BBC News |date=7 January 2005 |access-date=11 March 2007 |archive-date=1 January 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070101121344/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/4154657.stm |url-status=live }}</ref> The [[British government]] concurred with Orde's assessment, as did the [[Independent Monitoring Commission]] (IMC – the body appointed by the Irish and British governments to oversee the Northern Ireland ceasefires).<ref name="Crisis">{{cite web |title=Crisis as IRA vows to keep weapons |first=Fraser |last=Nelson |url=http://thescotsman.scotsman.com/index.cfm?id=128502005 |work=The Scotsman |date=3 February 2005 |access-date=11 March 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050430205443/http://thescotsman.scotsman.com/index.cfm?id=128502005 |archive-date=30 April 2005 |df=dmy-all }}</ref><ref name="Alert">{{cite news |title=Alert as Northern Bank swaps cash |first=Dan |last=McGinn |url=http://news.scotsman.com/topics.cfm?tid=1233&id=268242005 |work=The Scotsman |date=11 March 2005 |access-date=11 March 2007 |location=Edinburgh |archive-date=19 May 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070519123830/http://news.scotsman.com/topics.cfm?tid=1233&id=268242005 |url-status=live }}</ref> However, [[Sinn Féin]] denied the Chief Constable's claim, saying the IRA had not conducted the raid and that their officials had not known of or sanctioned the robbery. [[Martin McGuinness]] (a leading Sinn Féin negotiator) said that Orde's accusation represented "nothing more than politically-biased allegations. This is more to do with halting the process of change which Sinn Féin has been driving forward than with anything that happened at the Northern Bank".<ref name="BBC mult"/><ref name="McDowell" /> The Irish [[Taoiseach]] [[Bertie Ahern]] said that "an operation of this magnitude...has obviously been planned at a stage when I was in negotiations with those that would know the leadership of the Provisional movement".<ref name="BBC mult"/> The IMC recommended that Sinn Féin be fined for authorising the heist and remarked in the report that "the leadership and rank and file of Sinn Féin need to make the choice between continued association with and support for PIRA criminality and the path of an exclusively democratic political party".<ref name="TNI">{{cite book |last1=O'Leary |first1=Brendan |title=A Treatise on Northern Ireland, Volume III: Consociation and Confederation |date=11 April 2019 |location=Oxford |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-883058-0 |page=242 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GiKQDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA242 |access-date=3 November 2020 |language=en |archive-date=13 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201113202745/https://books.google.com/books?id=GiKQDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA242 |url-status=live }}</ref>

The Provisional IRA issued a statement on 18 January 2005, saying "the IRA has been accused of involvement in the recent Northern Bank robbery. We were not involved".<ref>{{cite web |title=Gang threatened to kill abductees and families |first=Alan |last=Erwin |url=http://archives.tcm.ie/irishexaminer/2005/02/18/story359672846.asp |work=[[Irish Examiner]] |date=18 February 2005 |access-date=11 March 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070623133141/http://archives.tcm.ie/irishexaminer/2005/02/18/story359672846.asp |archive-date=23 June 2007 }}</ref> Despite this denial, it was widely believed by Northern Irish politicians that the Provisional IRA was responsible.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/4203959.stm |work=BBC News |title=Bank robbery tops talks agenda |publisher=BBC |date=25 January 2005 |access-date=20 May 2010 |archive-date=3 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201103154422/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/northern_ireland/4203959.stm |url-status=live }}</ref> Commentators in the UK mainstream media speculated that the heist had been intended either to secure a pension fund for IRA active service members or to support Sinn Féin's electoral campaign.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article406556.ece |work=The Times |title=Proceeds of 40m bank theft could pay IRA pensions |first=David |last=Lister |date=29 December 2004 |access-date=20 May 2010 |archive-date=24 May 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110524070104/http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article406556.ece |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name="piece">{{cite news |url=http://observer.guardian.co.uk/magazine/story/0,11913,1431204,00.html |work=The Guardian |title=The price of piece |date=6 March 2005 |access-date=20 May 2010 |archive-date=2 February 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060202073241/http://observer.guardian.co.uk/magazine/story/0,11913,1431204,00.html |url-status=live }}</ref> In February 2005, the Irish [[Minister for Justice (Ireland)|Minister for Justice]] [[Michael McDowell (politician)|Michael McDowell]] accused [[Gerry Adams]] (Sinn Féin MP for [[Belfast West (UK Parliament constituency)|Belfast West]]), McGuinness and [[Martin Ferris]] (Sinn Féin TD for [[Kerry North (Dáil constituency)|Kerry North]]), of not only being IRA members but leading it from their positions on the [[IRA Army Council]].<ref name="McDowell">{{cite news |last1=Brady |first1=Tom |last2=Molony |first2=Senan |title=McDowell: These men are leaders of the IRA |url=http://www.independent.ie/national-news/mcdowell-these-men-are-leaders-of-the-ira-275086.html |access-date=29 November 2020 |work=Irish Independent |date=21 February 2005 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090105070438/http://www.independent.ie/national-news/mcdowell-these-men-are-leaders-of-the-ira-275086.html |archive-date=5 January 2009 |language=en }}</ref>

==Investigations and arrests==

On 10 February 2005 (the day that the IMC report was released), houses near [[Beragh]], [[County Tyrone]], belonging to two brothers were searched in connection with the robbery but nothing was found.<ref name="AZ">{{cite book |last1=Gillespie |first1=Gordon |title=The A to Z of the Northern Ireland Conflict |date=2009 |location=Lanham; Toronto; Plymouth, UK |publisher=Scarecrow Press |isbn=978-0-8108-7045-1 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NFr9NteKEagC |access-date=3 November 2020 |language=en |archive-date=3 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201103214254/https://books.google.com/books?id=NFr9NteKEagC&pg=PR47 |url-status=live }}</ref>{{rp|47}}<ref>{{cite news |title=Nothing found in bank raid search |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/4252233.stm |work=BBC News |date=10 February 2005 |access-date=2 September 2008 |archive-date=13 March 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060313215553/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/4252233.stm |url-status=live }}</ref> In the [[Republic of Ireland]], the [[Garda Síochána]] announced on 17 February that it had arrested seven people and recovered over £2&nbsp;million, including £60,000 in Northern Bank notes, during raids in the [[Cork (city)|Cork]] and [[Dublin]] areas, as part of investigations into [[money laundering]]. [[Garda Commissioner]] [[Noel Conroy]] did not officially confirm that the raids were related to the Northern Bank robbery, but said the IRA was behind the laundering. The arrests were made under the [[Offences against the State Acts 1939–1998|Offences against the State Act]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Irish police raids net millions |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/4276435.stm |work=BBC News |date=18 February 2005 |access-date=11 March 2007 |archive-date=7 March 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090307170250/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/4276435.stm |url-status=live }}</ref> Those arrested included several men from [[Derry]] and a former Sinn Féin candidate for [[Dáil Éireann]] (the [[lower house]] of the [[Oireachtas]]). Three men were arrested at [[Heuston Station]] in Dublin and one of them, Don Bullman, was alleged to have been carrying €94,000 (£62,000) in a box of [[Daz (detergent)|Daz]] washing powder.<ref name="gard">{{cite news |title=Sinn Féin in crisis following laundering arrests |first=Angelique |last=Chrisafis |url=https://www.theguardian.com/Northern_Ireland/Story/0,2763,1418064,00.html |work=The Guardian |date=19 February 2005 |access-date=11 March 2007 }}</ref><ref name="Laundering">{{cite news |title=Man held in Cork in money laundering probe |url=http://www.rte.ie/news/2005/0218/moneylaundering.html |work=RTÉ |date=18 February 2005 |access-date=11 March 2007 |archive-date=24 March 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080324232601/http://www.rte.ie/news/2005/0218/moneylaundering.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Bullman received a four-year jail sentence in 2007 for membership of the IRA. The sentencing judge said his conviction gave no indication as to his guilt regarding other matters.<ref name="RTE-240307">{{cite news |title=Bullman gets four years for IRA membership |url=https://www.rte.ie/news/2007/0314/86779-bullmand/ |access-date=13 November 2020 |work=RTÉ |date=14 March 2007 |language=en |archive-date=13 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201113202746/https://www.rte.ie/news/2007/0314/86779-bullmand/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

The financial adviser Ted Cunningham and his wife were arrested at their house in [[Farran]], [[County Cork]], after £2.3&nbsp;million{{efn|name=2.3m|Equivalent to £{{Inflation|UK|2.3|2004|r=1}}&nbsp;million in {{Inflation/year|UK}}{{Inflation/fn|UK}}}} was discovered hidden in compost.<ref name="Laundering" /><ref name="gard" /> [[Phil Flynn]], who was chairman of the [[Bank of Scotland (Ireland)]], a former Sinn Féin vice-president and an advisor to the Taoiseach, told the police that he was a non-executive director of Chesterton Finance, a company owned by Cunningham.<ref name="gard" /><ref name="Denies" /> In consequence, his home and offices were raided and he resigned his positions pending the results of the enquiries.<ref name="Denies">{{cite news |title=Bank of Scotland chief denies laundering cash |first=Kieran |last=McDaid |url=http://news.scotsman.com/topics.cfm?tid=1233&id=189872005 |work=The Scotsman |date=19 February 2005 |access-date=11 March 2007 |archive-date=19 September 2005 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050919191341/http://news.scotsman.com/topics.cfm?tid=1233&id=189872005 |url-status=live }}</ref> The head of the [[Northern Ireland Policing Board]] also resigned because he was a non-executive director of a company linked to Flynn.<ref name="Moore"/>{{rp|162}} The next day (18 February), Gardaí in [[Passage West]], Cork, arrested a man who had been reported to be burning sterling banknotes in his back garden; he was released without charge then eventually convicted in 2009 regarding 200 rounds of ammunition for a Kalashnikov rifle which were found in his loft when the house was raided.<ref>{{cite news |title=Gardaí in Cork release man without charge |url=http://www.rte.ie/news/2005/0220/moneylaundering.html |work=RTÉ |date=20 February 2005 |access-date=11 March 2007 |archive-date=24 March 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080324191046/http://www.rte.ie/news/2005/0220/moneylaundering.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Arms">{{cite news |title=Man jailed for arms possession |url=https://www.rte.ie/news/2009/0422/116558-blaneyd/ |access-date=13 November 2020 |work=RTÉ |date=22 April 2009 |language=en |archive-date=29 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201129132621/https://www.rte.ie/news/2009/0422/116558-blaneyd/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Another Cork man handed in £175,000 and soon afterwards three businessmen handed in £225,000; all four people claimed Cunningham had asked them to look after the money.<ref name="gard"/><ref name="Moore"/>{{rp|165}} Cunningham was connected to business interests in Bulgaria and analysts suggested that he was helping the IRA to launder money there by investing in property.<ref name="Moore"/>{{rp|158}}<ref name="Dingley">{{cite journal |last1=Dingley |first1=James C. |title=The road to peace? Northern Ireland after the Belfast Agreement: Causes of failure |journal=Democracy and Security |date=2006 |volume=2 |issue=2 |pages=263–286 |doi=10.1080/17419160600954508 |jstor=48602575 |s2cid=144232580 |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/48602575 |issn=1741-9166 |access-date=21 September 2022 |archive-date=22 September 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220922102325/https://www.jstor.org/stable/48602575 |url-status=live |url-access=subscription }}</ref>

In a separate incident on Saturday 19 February 2005, the PSNI confirmed that it had recovered £50,000 in unused Northern Bank notes from the toilets at the [[Newforge|Newforge Country Club]], a sports and social club in Belfast for serving and retired police officers. It dismissed it as an attempt to divert attention from the heist.<ref>{{cite news |title=PSNI confirms discovery of Northern Bank notes |url=http://www.rte.ie/news/2005/0219/moneylaundering.html |work=RTÉ |date=19 February 2005 |access-date=11 March 2007 |archive-date=24 March 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080324191033/http://www.rte.ie/news/2005/0219/moneylaundering.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The PSNI later confirmed that the money found at the club had indeed been taken during the robbery.<ref>{{cite web |title=Northern Bank robbery update |url=http://www.psni.police.uk/index/media_centre/press_releases/pg_press_releases_2005/pr_2005_february/pr_update_northern_bank_190205.htm |publisher=Police Service of Northern Ireland |date=19 February 2005 |access-date=11 March 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071215225247/http://www.psni.police.uk/index/media_centre/press_releases/pg_press_releases_2005/pr_2005_february/pr_update_northern_bank_190205.htm |archive-date=15 December 2007 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

On 12 October, Garda Commissioner Noel Conroy told a law enforcement conference in Dublin he was satisfied that the money recovered in Cork in February came from the Northern Bank robbery.<ref>{{cite news |title=Gardaí say Cork money linked to bank raid |url=http://www.rte.ie/news/2005/1012/crime.html |work=RTÉ |date=12 October 2005 |access-date=11 March 2007 |archive-date=12 March 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070312225310/http://www.rte.ie/news/2005/1012/crime.html |url-status=live }}</ref> In November, the PSNI arrested five men: two in [[Kilcoo]], County Down and one each in Belfast, [[Dungannon]] and [[Coalisland]].<ref name="BBC mult1">{{cite news |title=Five now held over £26m robbery |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/4403490.stm |work=BBC News |date=3 November 2005 |access-date=11 March 2007 |archive-date=3 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201103154356/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/northern_ireland/4403490.stm |url-status=live }}</ref> In protest, crowds blocked the road between [[Castlewellan]] and [[Newry]] near Kilcoo with burnt-out vehicles. Hugh Orde defended the police action as "proportionate"; Sinn Féin MP [[Michelle Gildernew]] claimed the raids were "part of a political stunt".<ref name="BBC mult1"/> A man from Kilcoo was charged with robbery, hostage-taking and possession of a firearm or imitation firearm. The individual arrested in Dungannon was named as Brian Arthurs, a member of Sinn Féin and brother of [[Provisional IRA East Tyrone Brigade#Declan Arthurs|Declan Arthurs]], an IRA [[Volunteer (Irish republican)|volunteer]] killed in 1987.<ref>{{cite news |title=Northern Bank heist suspect charged |first=Geneviève |last=Roberts |url=http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/crime/article324657.ece |work=The Independent |date=4 November 2005 |access-date=11 March 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071001060330/http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/crime/article324657.ece |archive-date=1 October 2007 }}</ref> The man from Coalisland was charged with making false statements to police in relation to a white [[Ford Transit]] van allegedly used in the robbery.<ref>{{cite news |title=Further arrest over Northern Bank raid |url=http://www.rte.ie/news/2005/1107/bank.html |work=RTÉ |date=7 November 2005 |access-date=11 March 2007 |archive-date=24 February 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070224082137/http://www.rte.ie/news/2005/1107/bank.html |url-status=live }}</ref> By the end of 2005, police investigations had resulted in 13 arrests and 22 searches.<ref name="PNI">{{cite book |last1=Rea |first1=Desmond |last2=Masefield |first2=Robin |title=Policing in Northern Ireland: Delivering the new beginning |year=2014 |location=Oxford |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-1-78138-150-2 |page=473 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cZo6DwAAQBAJ&pg=PA473 |language=en |access-date=3 November 2020 |archive-date=3 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201103214309/https://books.google.com/books?id=cZo6DwAAQBAJ&pg=PA473 |url-status=live }}</ref> All charges against the men from Kilcoo and Coalisland were dropped by the Public Prosecution Service in January 2007; Orde described the developments as "a setback".<ref name="dropped" />

== Ward trial ==

Chris Ward, one of the two bank officials threatened by the gang during the robbery, was arrested in connection with the robbery on 29 November 2005 and the PSNI searched his home. Another bank employee, a 22-year-old woman who was not named, was also arrested on the same day.<ref>{{cite news |title=Two held over £26m bank robbery |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/4480582.stm |work=BBC News |date=29 November 2005 |access-date=11 March 2007 |archive-date=18 May 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070518141048/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/4480582.stm |url-status=live }}</ref> On 2 December, the police raided [[Casement Park]], the [[Gaelic Athletic Association]] (GAA) stadium and social club in west Belfast, because Ward worked there part-time. The GAA reported the matter to the Irish government, stating that it had not been warned about the large operation.<ref name="BBC-GAA">{{cite news |title=GAA raid 'linked to £26m robbery' |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/4492870.stm |access-date=3 November 2020 |work=BBC News |date=2 December 2005 |archive-date=6 December 2005 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051206182228/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/4492870.stm |url-status=live }}</ref> 
[[File:Roger Casement Park - geograph.org.uk - 443980.jpg|thumb|Roger Casement Park in 2007]]
On 7 December, Ward was prosecuted at Belfast [[Courts of Northern Ireland|Magistrates' Court]] for robbery and using a firearm. The prosecution case was based on his actions in the days preceding and during the raid, a suspicious work rota and discrepancies in his original statements to police. Ward denied the charges and claimed that the police were harassing him and his family in an attempt to frame him as the [[Insider threat|inside man]] on the job. Ward complained the police had held him in detention longer than the gang had held his family hostage.<ref>{{cite news |title=Bank raid accused in frame claim |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/4505620.stm |work=BBC News |date=7 December 2005 |access-date=11 March 2007 |archive-date=23 December 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061223232021/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/4505620.stm |url-status=live }}</ref>

Ward was remanded on bail and a date of September 2008 was set for the trial in a [[Diplock court]].<ref name="dropped">{{cite news |title=Northern Ireland bank robbery charges dropped |url=http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/ulster/article2122241.ece |work=The Independent |date=3 January 2007 |access-date=11 March 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070105072238/http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/ulster/article2122241.ece |archive-date=5 January 2007 |df=dmy-all }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.independent.ie/breaking-news/national-news/man-to-be-tried-next-year-over-northern-bank-robbery-1164818.html |work=Irish Independent |title=Man to be tried next year over Northern Bank robbery |date=12 October 2007 |access-date=27 November 2007 |archive-date=6 March 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090306000516/http://www.independent.ie/breaking-news/national-news/man-to-be-tried-next-year-over-northern-bank-robbery-1164818.html |url-status=live }}</ref> At trial for [[robbery]] and [[false imprisonment]], the prosecution offered no evidence. Ward was acquitted of all charges and discharged by the judge.<ref>{{cite news |title=Northern Bank accused is acquitted |url=http://www.rte.ie/news/2008/1009/northernbank.html |work=RTÉ |date=9 October 2008 |access-date=9 October 2008 |archive-date=10 October 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081010161901/http://www.rte.ie/news/2008/1009/northernbank.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The prosecution accepted that the work rota change which underpinned their case had been "the result of a chance decision by management". Ward's defence lawyer claimed he had been the victim of a "Kafka-esque farce".<ref>{{cite news |title=Ward walks free as £26m bank robbery trial collapses |url=https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/ward-walks-free-as-26m-bank-robbery-trial-collapses-28450027.html |work=Belfast Telegraph |date=9 October 2008 |access-date=2 November 2018 |archive-date=16 November 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181116062715/https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/ward-walks-free-as-26m-bank-robbery-trial-collapses-28450027.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

== Cunningham convictions ==
In March 2009, Ted Cunningham was found guilty at Cork [[Circuit Court (Ireland)|Circuit Court]] on ten charges of laundering over £3&nbsp;million which came from the robbery. He was remanded in custody and later received a sentence of ten years' imprisonment.<ref>{{cite news |title=Cunningham found guilty of laundering bank money |url=http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2009/0327/breaking5.htm |newspaper=The Irish Times |date=27 March 2009 |access-date=27 March 2009 |archive-date=25 June 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160625082717/http://www.irishtimes.com/news/cunningham-found-guilty-of-laundering-bank-money-1.838201 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Quash" /> His son was also convicted of one charge of money laundering.<ref name="BT-250409">{{cite news |title=First Northern Bank heist jailing could also be the last |url=https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/first-northern-bank-heist-jailing-could-also-be-the-last-28476552.html |access-date=13 November 2020 |work=Belfast Telegraph |date=25 April 2009 |archive-date=29 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201129132617/https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/first-northern-bank-heist-jailing-could-also-be-the-last-28476552.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Cunningham senior appealed and his conviction was quashed by the [[Court of Criminal Appeal (Ireland)|Court of Criminal Appeal]] in May 2012. The court decided that the warrant used to search his house was invalid<ref name="Quash" /> because it had been issued by the senior Garda officer in charge of the investigation under section 29(1) of the [[Offences against the State Act]], which the [[Supreme Court of Ireland|Supreme Court]] had recently found to be repugnant to the [[Constitution of Ireland]]. The court ordered a retrial on nine of the ten original counts of money laundering. It directed that the tenth, relating to a sum of money allegedly found in Cunningham's home, was not to be retried. He was again remanded in custody with the possibility of [[bail]].<ref name="Quash">{{cite news |title=Northern Bank cash verdict quashed |url=http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2012/0511/breaking25.html |newspaper=The Irish Times |date=11 May 2012 |access-date=11 May 2012 |archive-date=11 May 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120511224954/http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2012/0511/breaking25.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

At the retrial in February 2014, Cunningham pleaded guilty and received a 5-year [[suspended sentence]] on two counts of laundering about £275,000. He avoided imprisonment on account of his bad health and his promise to resign from Chesterton Finance. The sums of £2.985&nbsp;million and €45,000 which had been impounded during police raids were forfeited to the state.<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://www.irishtimes.com/news/crime-and-law/courts/suspended-term-for-laundering-northern-bank-raid-proceeds-1.1706825 |title=Suspended term for laundering Northern Bank raid proceeds |newspaper=The Irish Times |language=en-US |access-date=20 December 2016 |archive-date=27 February 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140227222020/http://www.irishtimes.com/news/crime-and-law/courts/suspended-term-for-laundering-northern-bank-raid-proceeds-1.1706825 |url-status=live }}</ref> Cunningham sued Northern Bank in 2020 regarding the impounded money, alleging that the Gardai had seized it improperly.<ref name="BT-110720">{{cite news |last1=Phelan |first1=Shane |title=Only man jailed over £26m Northern raid sues bank |url=https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/northern-ireland/only-man-jailed-over-26m-northern-raid-sues-bank-39358414.html |access-date=13 November 2020 |work=Belfast Telegraph |date=11 July 2020 |url-access=subscription |archive-date=22 October 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201022112727/https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/northern-ireland/only-man-jailed-over-26m-northern-raid-sues-bank-39358414.html |url-status=live }}</ref> He began a new case aiming to clear his name in 2023.<ref name="Drennan">{{cite news |last1=Drennan |first1=John |title=State rattled as Northern Bank case returns to court |url=https://extra.ie/2023/09/11/news/irish-news/northern-bank-case-court |access-date=7 April 2024 |work=Extra |date=11 September 2023 }}</ref>

== Legacy ==
Northern Bank announced soon after the robbery that it would replace its £10, £20, £50 and £100 notes; the new banknotes would have different colours, new logos and altered serial numbers.<ref name="BBC mult" /><ref name="Alert" /> By March 2005 it had done so, meaning that the uncirculated banknotes which had been stolen would be hard to spend. This still left the £4.5&nbsp;million in notes from other banks and £5.5&nbsp;million in old, used Northern Bank notes, which were untraceable.<ref name="piece" />

After the [[Good Friday Agreement]] of 1998 had provided hope of an ending to [[The Troubles]], the political situation in Belfast remained tense. By the end of 2004, the different parties in the [[Northern Ireland peace process]] were reaching agreement, but at a meeting on 8 December at which Bertie Ahern, [[Tony Blair]], [[Gerry Adams]] and Martin McGuinness were present, the Sinn Féin representatives refused to promise that the Provisional IRA would stop its criminal activity. Less than two weeks later, the Northern Bank robbery again inflamed tensions since despite the denials of Sinn Féin, the IRA was blamed by Ahern and Blair for the heist.<ref name="Crisis" /><ref name="IE-181214" /> In 2005, the UK [[Secretary of State for Northern Ireland]] [[Paul Murphy, Baron Murphy of Torfaen|Paul Murphy]] remarked "I cannot hide my own judgment that the impact is deeply damaging".<ref name="IE-181214" /> [[Mark Durkan]], leader of the Irish nationalist [[Social Democratic and Labour Party]] condemned the IRA as a criminal enterprise.<ref name="Denies" /> The IRA rejected the statements and Adams commented "the IRA statement is obviously a direct consequence of the retrograde stance of the two governments [...] It is evidence of a deepening crisis and I regret that very much."<ref name="Crisis" />

Leaked US communications revealed that Ahern suspected Adams and McGuinness had known about the robbery and this made his attitude towards them toughen.<ref name="BT-15-12-14">{{cite news |last1=Templeton |first1=Darwin |title=The Provos got so much cash from Northern Bank heist they could not handle it |url=https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/northern-ireland/the-provos-got-so-much-cash-from-northern-bank-heist-they-could-not-handle-it-30833641.html |access-date=3 November 2020 |work=Belfast Telegraph |date=15 December 2014 |archive-date=2 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201102132500/https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/northern-ireland/the-provos-got-so-much-cash-from-northern-bank-heist-they-could-not-handle-it-30833641.html |url-status=live |url-access=subscription }}</ref> Garda surveillance had recorded Adams meeting with Ted Cunningham before the heist took place.<ref name="Independent">{{cite news |title=Adams' indignation is a masterclass in audacity |url=https://www.independent.ie/opinion/analysis/adams-indignation-is-a-masterclass-in-audacity-26606375.html |access-date=3 November 2020 |work=Irish Independent |date=14 December 2010 |language=en |archive-date=3 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201103214255/https://www.independent.ie/opinion/analysis/adams-indignation-is-a-masterclass-in-audacity-26606375.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Alongside the [[murder of Robert McCartney]] in January 2005, the robbery caused the US government to block fund-raising for Sinn Féin in the United States (the ban was dropped in November 2005).<ref name="AZ"/> When Adams denied that the IRA were involved in any way, the [[Ulster Unionist Party]] (UUP) announced it could not share power with Sinn Féin any longer and withdrew from the coalition governing Northern Ireland.<ref name="IT-210815">{{cite news |last1=Ferguson |first1=Amanda |last2=Kelly |first2=Fiach |title=Adams: IRA not involved in killing of Kevin McGuigan |url=https://www.irishtimes.com/news/politics/adams-ira-not-involved-in-killing-of-kevin-mcguigan-1.2324869 |access-date=29 November 2020 |newspaper=The Irish Times |date=21 August 2015 |language=en |archive-date=29 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201129132619/https://www.irishtimes.com/news/politics/adams-ira-not-involved-in-killing-of-kevin-mcguigan-1.2324869 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="BT-290815">{{cite news |title=UUP votes to withdraw from government over Provisional IRA claims |url=https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/northern-ireland/uup-votes-to-withdraw-from-government-over-provisional-ira-claims-31486828.html |access-date=7 December 2020 |work=Belfast Telegraph |date=29 August 2015 |archive-date=7 December 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201207153237/https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/northern-ireland/uup-votes-to-withdraw-from-government-over-provisional-ira-claims-31486828.html |url-status=live |url-access=subscription }}</ref> The UUP Member of Parliament [[David Burnside]] accused [[Bobby Storey]] under [[parliamentary privilege]] in the [[House of Commons of the United Kingdom| House of Commons]] of being the IRA's intelligence chief and the planner of the Northern Bank robbery.<ref name="Newsletter">{{cite web |last1=Kula |first1=Adam |title=Bobby Storey – IRA 'brain surgeon' and alleged Northern Bank plotter – was 'vital to peace process' says SF |url=https://www.newsletter.co.uk/news/crime/bobby-storey-ira-brain-surgeon-and-alleged-northern-bank-plotter-was-vital-peace-process-says-sf-2890908 |website=News Letter |date=21 June 2020 |access-date=29 November 2020 |language=en |archive-date=29 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201129132618/https://www.newsletter.co.uk/news/crime/bobby-storey-ira-brain-surgeon-and-alleged-northern-bank-plotter-was-vital-peace-process-says-sf-2890908 |url-status=live }}</ref> A 2021 BBC documentary presented by the journalists [[Darragh MacIntyre]] and Sam McBride also suggested that the heist had been organised by Storey.<ref name="McStravick">{{cite news |last1=McStravick |first1=Sheena |title=Northern Bank robbery to be revisited in new BBC documentary 16 years on |url=https://www.belfastlive.co.uk/whats-on/be/northern-bank-robbery-revisited-new-20489072 |access-date=7 April 2024 |work=Belfast Live |date=3 May 2021 |language=en |archive-date=7 December 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231207165242/https://www.belfastlive.co.uk/whats-on/be/northern-bank-robbery-revisited-new-20489072 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Power">{{cite news |last1=Power |first1=Ed |title=Inside the Northern Bank robbery: 'I was waiting for the bullet in the back of the head' |url=https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/tv-radio-web/inside-the-northern-bank-robbery-i-was-waiting-for-the-bullet-in-the-back-of-the-head-1.4554533 |access-date=7 April 2024 |newspaper=The Irish Times |date=3 May 2021 |language=en |archive-date=31 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240131173641/https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/tv-radio-web/inside-the-northern-bank-robbery-i-was-waiting-for-the-bullet-in-the-back-of-the-head-1.4554533 |url-status=live }}</ref>

The events of the theft were given a book-length account in ''Ripe for the Picking: The Inside Story of the Northern Bank Robbery'' (published in 2006) and a former IRA bank robber released a work of fiction entitled ''Northern Heist'' in 2018, about a robbery which bore strong resemblances to the crime.<ref name="Millar">{{cite news |last1=Millar |first1=Sam |title='Inside' story of Northern Bank raid? Readers will be robbed |url=https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/inside-story-of-northern-bank-raid-readers-will-be-robbed/28118799.html |access-date=2 September 2024 |work=Belfast Telegraph |date=9 June 2006 }}</ref><ref name="Fiction">{{cite news |last1=Carroll |first1=Rory |title=Ex-IRA man's novel adds to intrigue over Northern Bank heist |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2018/sep/28/ex-ira-mans-novel-adds-to-intrigue-over-northern-bank-heist |access-date=3 November 2020 |work=The Guardian |date=28 September 2018 |archive-date=7 August 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200807183030/https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2018/sep/28/ex-ira-mans-novel-adds-to-intrigue-over-northern-bank-heist |url-status=live }}</ref> The former head of the [[Assets Recovery Agency]] commented in 2014 that he believed the IRA were still struggling to launder some of the money taken in the heist owing to the size of the haul.<ref name="IE-181214">{{cite news |title=Northern Bank robbers 'still struggling to spend £26.5m' |url=https://www.irishexaminer.com/news/arid-30655038.html |access-date=3 November 2020 |work=Irish Examiner |date=18 December 2014 |language=en |archive-date=3 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201103214257/https://www.irishexaminer.com/news/arid-30655038.html |url-status=live }}</ref> {{As of|2023|post=,}} the robbery remained one of the largest in the history of both the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland, and nobody had been held directly responsible.<ref name="Drennan" /><ref name="IN-280918">{{cite news |last1=Young |first1=Connla |title=Northern Bank heist was biggest robbery ever in Ireland or Britain |url=https://www.irishnews.com/news/northernirelandnews/2018/09/28/news/northern-bank-heist-was-biggest-robbery-ever-in-ireland-or-britain-1444338/ |access-date=3 November 2020 |work=The Irish News |date=28 September 2018 |language=en |archive-date=5 August 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200805221729/https://www.irishnews.com/news/northernirelandnews/2018/09/28/news/northern-bank-heist-was-biggest-robbery-ever-in-ireland-or-britain-1444338/ |url-status=live }}</ref> It was the largest cash theft in the UK until the [[Securitas depot robbery]] in 2006, when almost £53&nbsp;million{{efn|name=53m|Equivalent to almost £{{Inflation|UK|53|2006}}&nbsp;million in {{Inflation/year|UK}}{{Inflation/fn|UK}}}} was stolen.<ref name="Moore" />{{rp|231}}

==See also==
{{Portal|Banks|Northern Ireland}}
* [[City bonds robbery]]
* [[List of bank robbers and robberies]]

==Notes==
{{Notelist}}

==References==
{{reflist|30em}}

==Further reading==
* [https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000vwxx Heist: The Northern Bank Robbery] at BBC Programmes
* {{BBC Online|id=sounds/series/m000tsjy|title=The Northern Bank Job}}

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[[Category:2000s crimes in Northern Ireland]]
[[Category:2004 crimes in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:2004 in Northern Ireland]]
[[Category:21st century in Belfast]]
[[Category:Attacks on buildings and structures in 2004]]
[[Category:Attacks on buildings and structures in Belfast]]
[[Category:Bank robberies in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Crimes]]
[[Category:December 2004 in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Hostage taking in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Organised crime events in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Organised crime in Northern Ireland]]
[[Category:Unsolved crimes in the United Kingdom]]