A 38-YEAR-OLD man has been remanded in custody charged with firearms and robbery offences after an Italian teacher and one of her students were held up at gunpoint outside the Guinness Storehouse in Dublin.

Gareth Mallon made no application for bail when he appeared before Judge Treasa Kelly at Dublin District Court

Silvia Pantoni and one of her students had been at Long’s Place, Dublin 8, near the Guinness Storehouse, on the evening of 21 October, when they were mugged.

A large group of Italian tourists has been walking toward a Luas stop after exiting the Guinness Storehouse.

The teacher and a student were at the rear of the group.

They were allegedly approached by two men; one was armed with a gun or possible imitation firearm.

Mallon with an address at Marrowbone Lane Close in Dublin 8 had been arrested on Monday. He was detained at Kevin Street Garda Station under Section 30 – Offences Against The State Act 1939, before he was charged and brought to court.

He is accused of attempted robbery of the teacher, robbing the student of €60, and possession of a firearm at Long’s Place on October 21 last.

He faces charges of possession of a firearm at a Spar shop on Thomas Street and robbery of the store on the same date.

Garda Cormac O’Donnell was the prosecuting officer.

Mallon made no application for bail and was remanded in custody to appear at Cloverhill District Court on 5 November next.

He is the second person to come before the courts in connection with the incident. Last week, co-accused Paul Heaney, 35, with an address at Michael Malin House, Dublin 8 was charged with robbery and attempted robbery.

He pleaded for bail but was unsuccessful following strenuous Garda objections.

Heaney replied, “I did not rob anyone” to one charge, and made no reply to the second count.

He went voluntarily to Kevin Street Garda and stated he was there about the incident with the gun, and he said: “It is not my style”.

He was not alleged to have been the main antagonist.

Garda Stephen Duggan agreed with the defence that the accused destroyed clothing he wore because he was “afraid they would give him bad luck, and he wanted to destroy the evidence”.

Heaney, who is unemployed, had mental health issues and also cared for his elderly mother, the court was told.