Hunt for armed robber who hijacked car

A LARGE-SCALE manhunt is continuing for an armed robber who hijacked a car at gunpoint, used it during a raid on a credit union and then abandoned it in forestry.

The hijacking took place in an isolated part of north east Cork at around 10.30am yesterday.

A man in his late 40s was driving his car along a quiet road, about a mile-and- a-half south of the village of Ballynoe, when the hijacker struck.

The man was forced to slow down because tree branches had been put across the road. As he did so the hijacker, who was wearing a balaclava, appeared, pointed a gun at him through the windscreen and ordered him to get out.

The hijacker then drove the 92 LK-registered black Nissan Pulsar hatchback 25 miles to Glanmire, where he robbed the local credit union.

At around 10.50am he ran into the credit union and vaulted the counter, threatening a female member of staff with what gardaí believe to be a handgun. He then grabbed a quantity of cash and sped off in the stolen car.

A garda spokesman said that staff were uninjured but shocked by the ordeal. Gardaí said that the armed robber took a substantial sum of cash.

Bizarrely, the hijacker then doubled back the way he had come. The stolen car was found a few hours later, abandoned in a forest a short distance from where he had originally taken it in woods at Curraheen.

Gardaí cordoned off the credit union, along with the sites where the car was hijacked and found abandoned. Forensic examinations were conducted.

Meanwhile, garda search teams and dog handlers combed a wide area around Ballynoe in search of the robber.

They believe he probably drove the car at high speed through the villages of Conna, Aghern and Rathcormac, where he joined the main Cork-Dublin road on his way to Glanmire.

However it also possible that he cut across county through Lisgoold, Leamlara and Watergrasshill.

A sign at Glanmire Credit Union yesterday afternoon informed customers that it was closed due to a robbery. It was due to reopen today at 9am.

Gardaí are checking CCTV footage from shops in the Crestfield Centre in Glanmire, near the credit union, in an effort to identify the robber. They also set up checkpoints yesterday in the vicinity of the hijacking and questioned motorists, as well as carrying out house-to-house inquiries in the Ballynoe area.

An incident room has been set up in Fermoy Garda Station and anybody with information is asked to call 025-82100.