Kidnapping claim was false, say gardaí
A 50-year-old man claimed he had been abducted by three men in a red Jeep-style vehicle on Tuesday afternoon.
The incident was alleged to have happened in Water Rock, between Carrigtohill and Midleton in Co Cork.
He told gardaí three men in balaclavas bundled him into a van as he walked along the road at 5pm.
They drove him around Carrigtohill for 20 minutes and threatened him before dropping him off in the same spot, gardaí were told.
But residents in the plush area told the Irish Examiner no one had seen any kidnapping. They saw gardaí making inquiries yesterday, and one resident said: “I’m here 40 years and never known anything like it.”
The Irish Examiner tracked the complainant to his home but his family declined to comment. Neighbours said the complainant was a family man who was also law-abiding.
Last night Garda Inspector Martin Dorney said: “There was an allegation made to gardaí that a man had been abducted. It has subsequently transpired however that the allegation was false.”
Gardaí are preparing a file for the DPP, who will decide if charges are to follow.
