Kidnap victims 'a lovely quiet couple'

Neighbours of the husband and wife who were kidnapped at their Lucan home yesterday described the pair as a "lovely quiet couple…

Neighbours of the husband and wife who were kidnapped at their Lucan home yesterday described the pair as a "lovely quiet couple".

Deirdre Murphy, who lives next door to the couple at Hillcrest Close, said she "did not hear a thing" during the kidnapping.

However, gardaí had phoned her husband at his workplace shortly after 11am yesterday saying they were concerned for the couple's safety.

Garda technical experts continued yesterday to examine the scene of the kidnapping, a quiet estate opposite a green area in Lucan. Broken glass was visible around the porch door leading into the house.

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"There is building work going on at the house on the other side, so there are always strange cars in the area," Ms Murphy told The Irish Times.

"I was here all night long, but I didn't hear a thing.

"They're a lovely quiet couple. I've lived here for 14 years, and they've always been there . . . They're really nice people. They're a quiet couple who just look after their garden and their home."

The officer leading the investigation into Sunday night's kidnapping appealed for information from members of the public who may have witnessed anything at any of the three main crime scenes: Lucan, Carlow and Rathcoole.

Chief Supt Mick Byrnes outlined the events leading up to the robbery to reporters outside Naas Garda station yesterday, stressing the traumatic impact on the couple involved.

"They were not physically injured but they are extremely traumatised," he said.

"Any major raid would be a cause of worry to An Garda Síochána . . . This was well orchestrated."

He also urged members of the public who come into contact with large transactions of cash to notify gardaí if they have any suspicions about its origins.

There were also calls yesterday for the introduction of measures to combat the so-called "tiger" kidnappings.

Fine Gael justice spokesman Jim O'Keeffe TD urged the Government and the financial sector to work together to prepare a new security strategy and to reduce the State's dependency on cash. He said Ireland had one of the most "cash-saturated" societies in the EU.

"Tiger kidnappings are an insidious new development in criminal activity, and their increasing frequency is extremely disturbing . . . Totally innocent people, including semi-State employees of An Post, are finding themselves targeted by ruthless criminals for financial gain."

Tipperary TD Maire Hoctor (FF), who is the convenor of the Dáil justice committee, called for 10-year minimum jail sentences for what she described as a "new breed" of so-called "tiger" kidnappers.

Labour Party Seanad spokeswoman on justice Sen Joanna Tuffey called for the Minister for Justice, Michael McDowell, to ensure that procedures were reviewed and security measures improved.

Their calls came as Larry Broderick, general secretary of the Irish Bank Officials' Association (IBOA), advised staff to "think carefully" before agreeing to become keyholders following yesterday's raid. "It is clear to the IBOA that there is a need for a fundamental review of current key-holder policy," he said.

"Bank officials will be extremely reluctant to act as keyholders for financial institutions when they and their families' lives are being put in danger."