Gardaí renew appeals for information on missing man

GARDAÍ have renewed their appeals for information about a missing member of a prominent business family following a potential sighting of him in a pub in Ennistymon, Co Clare.

Meanwhile, it has been confirmed that RTÉ’s Crimeline will seek the public’s help when it broadcasts a programme about 25-year-old Stefan Punch on Monday, September 22.

Gardaí said yesterday they were following up a potential sighting of the Glanmire man in Mary Joe’s pub at Parliament Street, Ennistymon. Locals saw a man fitting Stefan’s description in the bar at around 9pm on August 29, two days after he left home and after his car was found abandoned at the scenic Cliffs of Moher.

“It’s a very busy tourist route in that area. We are anxious to speak to anyone who may have seen Stefan get on a bus or who may have given him a lift from the Cliffs of Moher to Ennistymon,” a garda spokesman said. Another and as yet unconfirmed sighting was made of the young man in a pub in Doolin. Gardaí haven’t ruled out the possibility that after he left his green Hyundai Accent car parked near the cliffs that he walked the six miles to the village as he was known to enjoy the outdoor life and the ruggedness of the Connemara and Burren areas. Another unconfirmed sighting was made on the island of Innishmore.

Members of Mr Punch’s family, who control the well known Cork company Punch Holdings Ltd, have been distributing posters to pubs, shops and supermarkets in the area in the hope of getting information.

Gardaí said that, contrary to some recent reports in some of the media, they have not scaled down their investigations and in fact have intensified them. “The Doolin Cliff Rescue and Coastal Search Team have already put in over 300 man hours searching the area.”

It has also emerged that Mr Punch’s Hyundai was noticed by a car park attendant at Cliffs of Moher on Friday, August 29, at 2pm and again the following day at 9.40am and not, as previously thought, on the Thursday night.

After leaving late on the evening of August 27 he drove to Mitchelstown through Johnstown, Co Kilkenny, and on to Abbeyleix. The last positive sighting of him was when he drove alone onto the Tarbert-Killimer ferry at 11.30am on August 28.

Stefan Punch is described as 5ft 11ins tall with short brown hair and grey green eyes. He was wearing a blue, green and white chequered shirt with a white T-shirt underneath, baggy grey-green combat pants and brown sailing shoes. Any information to Glanmire gardaí at [phone].