A postmistress at Lusk post office who was working on the morning of the armed raid told Dublin City Coroner's Court yesterday that she feared for her life when she realised what was happening.
Linda Neary, was one of four post office employees and two auditors who gave evidence at an inquest into the deaths of Eric Hopkins and Colm Griffin yesterday, after they were shot dead by gardaí during a raid on the morning of May 26th, 2005.
She told the court that she had no prior notice of the raid and began work at 7.35am that day.
Ms Neary received a delivery of cash at 7.55am, which, she told the court, was earlier than usual, but otherwise she noticed nothing suspicious.
She had just let Tim Murphy, who was carrying out an audit on the post office that day, into her office when she heard a knock and someone say "gardaí, open up". Two men wearing blue caps and yellow singlets identified themselves to Ms Neary as gardaí and told her there was a raid in progress.
One garda then ran past her into the sorting office. Ms Neary then witnessed a raider wearing a black balaclava come toward the post office from the delicatessen area of the supermarket.
"The raider was running and he had a sledgehammer in his hands. I was in fear of my life. I was terrified. The garda managed to close the door. I ran into the corner of my office and huddled down with Timmy Murphy." She heard banging against the hatch of the front window of the post office and the next thing the glass started "spraying" into the office.
"I was absolutely terrified. I could hear shouting and roaring. I think he said, 'open up, open up, give us your money', or words to that effect.
"Then I heard 'armed garda, armed garda' - or words to that effect . . . and then 'drop your weapons'.
"The sledgehammer was coming through. He was pounding with the sledgehammer." She then heard a number of gunshots, which she described as being a different noise to the banging.
"I think the banging stopped after what were gunshots." Then someone instructed Ms Neary to call a doctor.
She could see out the hatch a man on the ground and people were giving him CPR. She heard him saying he couldn't breathe and he was given oxygen. Mr Murphy was in the office when gardaí came to the front of the post office.
Suddenly he saw Ms Neary run away from the door to the end of the office, he told the court.
"I was lying on the floor. I heard shouts and bangs. I couldn't see anything . . . I was shaking all the time of the incident. I was in fear of my life. I thought my days were numbered.
"At that stage there was a lot of noise. I presumed it was gunfire. It could have been three or four shots. I kept my head down all the time . . . we all did."
He told the court all he could think of was "I hope they don't get into the office", and said extreme violence would have been needed to do that damage.