Psychics aid search for missing schoolboy

A NUMBER of psychics are helping gardaí in their quest to find Robert Holohan, the 11-year-old schoolboy who it is feared may have been abducted from near his Co Cork home.

A senior garda spokesman confirmed yesterday that they had received calls from a number of psychics who had given them information, which they are checking on.

More than 100 troops joined in searches yesterday, combing the most difficult terrain along with members of the Garda Mounted Unit, as they sought to find the schoolboy from Midleton, who disappeared last Tuesday afternoon.

Gardaí have found no trace of the boy and issued an appeal yesterday to anybody who finds a silver Nokia 32100 mobile phone to contact them immediately. Robert used such a phone to make a call to a friend shortly after he left his home at 2.30pm.

He then ran out of credit and the phone has been switched off since.

Taoiseach Bertie Ahern phoned Robert’s family yesterday, while junior minister Michael Ahern joined in the search.

Troops from Collins Barracks, Cork; Stephen’s Barracks, Kilkenny, and Kickham Barracks, Clonmel, carried out a major sweep of Curragh Woods, two miles west of Robert’s home.

Together with other volunteers they formed lines to sweep through hilly forest in conditions so wet people were slipping all the time.

Private Oliver Foudy, 22, from the 3rd Infantry Battalion based in Kilkenny, said conditions were so bad it was hard for people to keep their footing. Before a lunchtime break they had managed to cover four kilometres of very inhospitable terrain.

“Everyone’s hoping he’ll be found. We’re doing this for the sake of his family and everybody, including members of the public, have been putting in a big effort,” Pt Foudy said.

Quietly and without complaining, volunteers clambered up hillsides, waded across flooded streams and fought through thick undergrowth.

Brid Fahy, 20, and her 17-year-old friend, Liz Connery, found the going tough, but both were determined to help. The pair, who came from the nearby village of Lisgoold, said they were praying Robert would be found.

Shane Hanafin and John Stafford of the Garda Mounted Unit covered 20 miles on their horses in the morning.

“Hills, slippery mud and streams are natural terrain for horses so they can handle it well,” Garda Hanafin said. Commandant Dan Harvey said the Defence Force reserve units would replace regular troops in searches due to get under way again today.

These will include members from the 23rd Infantry Battalion from Midleton and Collins Barracks and the 13th Infantry Battalion from Fermoy and Dungarvan.

Meanwhile, the Engineers Special Search Team, based in Cork, remain on call if underground tunnels and caves are discovered which need investigating.

Garda and navy divers were in action again yesterday searching in the Lisgoold and Owenacurra rivers and worked their way into Midleton town centre.

They had earlier searched lakes at East Cork and Water Rock golf clubs.

Teams of volunteers also searched areas around Carrigtwohill. Detectives from the National Bureau of Criminal Investigation in Dublin have now joined the investigation, which already involves more than 70 gardaí.

Assistant Commissioner Adrian Culligan visited the search headquarters at East Cork Golf Club for the second time yesterday and later held a conference with senior gardaí, including the man leading the investigation, Superintendent Kieran McGann.

Several thousand volunteers are expected to help with searches this weekend.