Love/Hate star arrested after attempted armed robbery

A LOVE/HATE actor has been arrested by gardai investigating an attempted armed robbery at a Dublin pub.

Darndale man Stephen Clinch (49) was still being questioned at Store Street Garda Station last night after a dramatic incident in which staff chased and overpowered two raiders on the premises.

The real-life crime drama took place at The Living Room sports pub in Findlater Street in Dublin's north inner city at around 9.30am yesterday.

The actor, who previously claimed that he was a reformed criminal, was arrested with another man by gardai at the pub after they were pinned down by the staff.

Clinch starred as Noely in Love/Hate. His character was infamously involved in a savage jail assault in which a pool cue was used to attack Fran in the final episode.

Sources said that a sum close to €50,000 and a handgun were recovered from the scene.

A senior member of management of the business told the Herald: "I can't commend the staff highly enough. It was a very tense situation.

"I was in the middle of it all too and we had them restrained when the gardai arrived."

Staff said the two raiders entered the premises early on Monday morning.

The Living Room in Findlater Street, the Fibber McGee's pub in Parnell Street and Murray's pub on O'Connell Street are all run by The Murray Group company

The Living Room pub

The raiders threatened a member of staff with a gun in an attempt to steal a bag of cash containing some of the weekend takings. The two men then attempted to escape from the building but were pursued through the premises by up nine staff.

At one point the bungling raiders tried to flee via a door on to Parnell Street but they didn't have the security code. The duo then tried to escape through a firedoor but two individuals members of staff grabbed them and forced them to the ground.

The other staff members then joined in the scrum until two unarmed community gardai arrived to arrest them.

"It was a good outcome … I'm very happy," said the senior management member, who added there was a lot of "adrenalin" involved.

"This was a good lesson for the criminals. These were two idiots," said one delighted staff member.

A 43-year-old man who was arrested yesterday alongside Clinch is a career criminal who is currently facing serious charges before the courts.

The infamous scene in Love/Hate

Clinch also featured in TV3's series about his own locality 'Darndale: The Edge of Town'.

Last October Clinch, who has armed robbery convictions, was interviewed by Marian Finucane on RTE Radio One about being behind bars before rising to stardom.

He claimed that he is still haunted by his memories of the terrified people he targeted. "I do apologise but it wasn't me that was robbing them. It was my addiction, I had to feed it," he said at the time.

Love/Hate star Stephen Clinch jailed for four and a half years for €50,000 armed robbery

The actor, best known for playing Noely in the gritty RTE series, pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court

A film actor who starred in the Love/Hate TV series has been jailed for four and a half years after he admitted carrying out a €50,000 armed robbery.

Stephen Clinch, who played “Noely” in the hit RTÉ series, held a loaded semi-automatic pistol to the head of a security worker collecting overnight cash from a bar.

Clinch (49) of Millbrook Grove, Kilbarrack, Dublin pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to possession of a firearm with intention to commit robbery and to robbery of €50,730 at The Gate Hotel, Parnell Street, Dublin on May 11, 2015.

The court heard that Clinch had a history of an underlying heroin addiction. His previous convictions include 17 robbery and 13 burglary offences.

These offences date up to 2004 and he has had no serious convictions recorded until this robbery.

Clinch told gardaí after his arrest in 2014: “I thought I had my life back on track”.

Character referees, including singer Damien Dempsey, Love/Hate producer Stuart Carolan and film director Mark O'Connor, variously described Clinch as a friendly and reliable worker who had given back to his local community.

One victim of the holdup, Diraj Boodho, a cellar man responsible for lodging the takings of the hotel's associated bar, told the court the ordeal has left him afraid to leave the house.

“I could have been murdered,” he said.

At around eight that morning Mr Boodho was holding two bags of cash takings for lodgement.

He was in the hotel with security worker, Michel Cieslik, when two men came through a door and towards the staff and demanded the money.

The men were dressed like builders, wearing high-viz jackets and white dust masks.

Clinch put the gun to the cheek of Mr Cieslik.

Mr Boodho told gardai later: “When I saw the gun I thought it was going to finish”.

The raiders grabbed the money bags and ran downstairs.

As they ran away Clinch turned back and pointed the gun at Mr Boodho, who then ducked away.

A maintenance worker, Barry Smith, saw the raiders running and used a bike to try to block their escape.

Clinch punched him on the chin but Mr Smith held on to him and got him up against a wall.

After a struggle Clinch ended up on the ground with two staff members lying on his stomach.

Gardaí arrived to find him like this with the money and handgun on the ground beside him.

Clinch told gardaí he had been clean of heroin for nine years.

He claimed he didn't know the gun was loaded and didn't want to commit the robbery.

He said he did it because he owed €8,000 as a result of the discovery of a consignment of drugs he had being given to hide.

He said the debt “goes up each time”.

Judge Martin Nolan said it was a “incredibly frightening” incident and that the victim felt he could have died on the night.