'Tiger' trial continues

One of the men on trial in a €2.28m "tiger kidnapping" robbery case told gardaí he knew one of his co-accused and was buying a car from him at the time.

One of the men on trial in a €2.28m "tiger kidnapping" robbery case told gardaí he knew one of his co-accused and was buying a car from him at the time.

Christopher Corcoran said he was friends with Mark Farrelly and had know him for 12 years. He said he was a driver for Eircom and Mr Farrelly was a security guard for a Maxol petrol station at the time.

Mr Farrelly (aged 37) of Moatview Court, Priorswood; Mr Corcoran (aged 61), of Bayside Boulevard North, Sutton; David Byrne (aged 36) of Old Brazeel Way, Knocksedan, Swords; Niall Byrne (aged 27), of Aughavanagh Road, Crumlin; and Jason Kavanagh (aged 34), of Parslickstown Court, Ladyswell all deny two charges.

They have pleaded not guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to robbing €2.28m from Mr Paul Richardson and Securicor and to falsely imprisoning the Richardson family on March 13 and 14, 2005.

Mr Corcoran was arrested along with the other co-accused on the morning of April 20, 2005, a month after the robbery.

Detective Garda George McGuffin said Mr Corcoran claimed his car was stolen on New Years Eve and he had got Mr Farrelly’s wife’s car as a replacement. He said he had then got another car from Mr Farrelly and was in the process of buying it.

Det Gda McGuffin told Mr Denis Vaughan Buckley SC, prosecuting, that Mr Corcoran also confirmed in interview that he had a brother-in-law who was a garda sergeant.

He said he had worked in Eircom for 35 years and had retired two years ago, receiving a €90,000 lump sum as well as €200 a week and shares.

He said he had two bank accounts and had lodged around €7,000 the day before his arrest. He claimed this came from Eircom share dividends and the insurance payout for his stolen car.

He told gardaí he had held a gun once years before when he went shooting with a friend but otherwise knew nothing about firearms and that he kept thinking his arrest was "some kind of joke".

When asked what he usually did on a Sunday, the day of the kidnap, he replied that he usually stayed in because drinking out was too expensive.

It was day 32 of the trial which continues before Judge Tony Hunt and a jury of seven men and five women.

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