A man allegedly carried out an armed robbery at a Co Antrim snooker hall amid demands to pay off a debt, the High Court has heard.
Prosecutors claimed Stuart Grant (31) took part in the gun and knife raid after accepting that he either had to “go out robbing or hand himself in for a kicking”.
Nearly £2,000 cash was taken from the QE2 club on the Woodburn Road in Carrickfergus on April 19.
Grant, of Baird Close in the town, faces charges of robbery, possessing a firearm with intent to cause fear of violence, and having offensive weapons in public - namely five knuckle dusters.
He was granted bail under a strict prohibition on returning to Carrickfergus.
A Crown lawyer said two men brandishing a gun and knife targeted the snooker hall while staff and customers were present.
The raiders stole £1,500 from the office and took several hundred pounds out of a till.
Grant and a second man were stopped while travelling in a car later that night, the court heard.
Police located five knuckle dusters in the vehicle and £770 in cash in a gilet worn by the defendant.
He told officers that the money was there because he had just been paid.
According to the prosecution, however, Grant was wearing similar trainers to the footwear seen on one of the robbers in the CCTV footage.
Two suspected firearms were also seized from his home, with one said to match a gun brandished during the raid.
A balaclava and black gloves were also found during searches carried out at a second property.
The court heard WhatsApp exchanges discovered on Grant’s phone suggested he had received demands to pay a debt.
“He sent a message to someone that day saying ‘I’m going to have to go out robbing to get this, or I will have to hand myself in for a kicking’,” the prosecutor disclosed.
She added that a Google search for ‘QE2 Carrickfergus’ was made approximately 90 minutes before the raid.
Defence barrister Sean Mullan confirmed that Grant denies any involvement in the robbery.
He further argued that the prosecution was undermined by his client’s co-accused explaining he had won money at the bookies.
Mr Justice Scoffield indicated that Grant faces “a pretty strong prima facie case”.
But with the co-defendant previously released from custody, the judge decided to grant bail.
Banning Grant from the Carrickfergus area, he also ordered him to have no contact with any witnesses.