Gardai target potential suspect in Ennis murder

A potential suspect yesterday emerged in the hunt for the killer of an Ennis hackney driver, Mr Liam Moloney (56).

A number of witnesses have told gardaí that they saw a hooded man acting suspiciously in front of Mr Moloney's home and workplace last Friday night in the hour before his murder.

Issuing an appeal for information in relation to the man, the senior garda leading the investigation, Supt John Kerin, confirmed that the man was a potential suspect in Mr Moloney's murder.

On the seventh day of the investigation, Supt Kerin said: "This man is now very central to our investigation, and my belief is that the sighting of this man by a number of people is extremely significant and as important as finding the knife that was used to kill Mr Moloney."

Mr Moloney was murdered in his cab between 7.30 and 8.20 p.m. on Friday, February 11th, suffering multiple stab wounds.

His body was later dumped in a field at Ruan, six miles from Ennis, while his killer tried unsuccessfully to burn his hackney car out at the nearby village of Barefield before abandoning it.

Seeking information on the potential suspect, Supt Kerin said: "This man was seen by a number of people acting suspiciously at the front entrance of Barrack Close where Mr Moloney lived and in the vicinity of Ennis Cabs where Mr Moloney worked between 7 p.m. and 7.30 p.m. last Friday night."

The two locations are less than 50 metres apart, and Supt Kerin said that the man was wearing green oilskins and a hood, and carried a lady's umbrella.

He said: "People who have come forward to tell us about the man believe that he was wearing these items and carrying the umbrella as a disguise and to stop himself from being seen."

Supt Kerin confirmed that gardaí have CCTV footage of the hooded man and are seeking to enhance the image. He said: "We also believe that this man was trying to shield himself from any CCTV cameras.

"On the descriptions that we have received, he is believed to be between 5ft 9in and 6ft 1in and in his late 20s, early 30s. His behaviour, his actions and the way he is dressed are out of sync with the norm."