DJ calls for electronic tagging of criminals

HURLER DJ Carey has called for a zero tolerance approach, including electronic tagging, for criminals convicted of carrying out tiger kidnappings on bank officials and their families.

Carey spoke out yesterday after his former Kilkenny team-mate, Adrian Ronan, and his family were subjected to an eight-hour ordeal at the hands of an armed gang demanding €3 million from the bank where Mr Ronan works.

Mother-of-three Mary Ronan was abducted at gunpoint from her family home in Kilkenny, while her husband, Adrian, was ordered to go to the Bank of Ireland on Parliament Street, Kilkenny, and secure €3m for the raiders. Ms Ronan managed to free herself from her captors unharmed at around 2pm on Tuesday and no money was handed over to the gang who gardaí are still trying to trace.

It is understood the Ronan family were targeted by a Dublin gang who smashed their way into their home at Michael’s Church, Ballycallan, Co Kilkenny, at 6am on Tuesday.

The Ronans’ three children, all aged under ten years were in the house at the time of the break-in and went to the bank with their father while their mother was being held at an unknown location.

“These criminals should be tagged and we should know where they are and what they’re doing,” said Mr Carey.

Meanwhile, Justice Minister Dermot Ahern will meet today with banking chiefs amid concerns that individual bank staff are being allowed handle excessive amounts of cash.

Chief executives from at least seven banks, Garda Commissioner Fachtna Murphy and Mr Ahern will meet to discuss the recent kidnappings.

“More needs to be done because, quite obviously, this is a trend,” the minister said.

Concern will be raised why employees are able to get their hands on huge sums of cash at the demand of gangs.

Today’s meeting was arranged last month following a separate tiger kidnapping in Lucan in which a Bank of Ireland worker’s children were held captive.

The Irish Bank Officials Association are expected to hold a separate meeting with Mr Ahern next week over concern about their members safety.