'You have to help me...My worst nightmare has come true. My family has been kidnapped'

Sean Kelleher told the jury his cash-in-transit van partner Paul Richardson was “running up and down with cash” inside the vehicle looking extremely distraught, erratic and not himself.

The witness said his friend told him: “You have to help me, my worst nightmare has come true my family has been kidnapped.”

Mr Kelleher revealed Mr Richardson then showed him two photographs. The witness said these were of Mr Richardson's family and taken by people who had been at his house the previous night.

“I knew he wasn't joking,” Mr Kelleher told Dominic McGinn SC, prosecuting.

The witness said he turned his mobile phone off straight away as per the raiders' instructions and told Mr Richardson: “I will do whatever it takes to save your family.”

Mark Farrelly (46), Christopher Corcoran (70), David Byrne (45) and Niall Byrne (36) have all pleaded not guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to the false imprisonment of four members of the Richardson family at their home at Ashcroft, Raheny, Dublin, on March 13 and 14, 2005.

Mr Farrelly of Moatview Court, Priorswood, Coolock, Mr Corcoran of Rosedale, Raheny, Dublin, David Byrne of Old Brazil Way, Knocksedan, Swords, and Niall Byrne of Crumlin Road Flats, Dublin, also pleaded not guilty to robbing Paul Richardson and Securicor of €2.28 million on March 14, 2005.

Mr Kelleher said he and a third crew member accompanied Mr Richardson to the cash drop-off location at the Anglers' Rest pub car park in west Dublin.

He described how he thought Mr Richardson was going to have a heart attack as he drove the van “erratically” along the N4 as he had been instructed to do after dropping the cash. Mr Kelleher said he eventually persuaded Mr Richardson to pull the van over about an hour into the N4 journey.

The witness said once he hit the van's panic button, he was put directly through to Securicor control who informed the crew that Mr Richardson's family were safe.

Mr Kelleher agreed with Feargal Kavanagh SC, defending Niall Byrne, that he didn't see a photo including a gunman but added that he was only shown the image of Mr Richardson's family “for a second”.

A third van crew member revealed that he had been filling in for a worker who had phoned in sick that morning.

Paddy O'Callaghan told Mr McGinn that he didn't doubt Mr Richardson or Mr Kelleher when they told him about the kidnapping, saying: “I knew by the look of the two of them, they weren't jokers.”

He agreed with Mr Kavanagh that he had had been “bolshie” with one of the raiders during a brief phone conversation on the way to drop the cash.

He said he thought it was “rich” when this raider had told him not to swear. He agreed he thought the man had a northern accent, but couldn't say if that had been put on.

The trial continues before Judge Melanie Greally and an enlarged jury of seven women and eight men. It is set to last three months.