Detectives wait to talk to man over daylight abduction

Detectives were last night waiting to talk to a father of three after he was subjected to a daylight abduction near his home before being released badly beaten.

The ordeal unfolded in front of shocked neighbours in an affluent estate in Virginia, Co Cavan, at 3.30pm on Tuesday.

Richard O’Donovan, 31, was driven off the road, chased, assaulted, then dragged into his attackers’ car and taken away overnight.

He was released by his captors yesterday morning with serious injuries and brought to Cavan General Hospital.

It is understood Mr O’Donovan was not in a position to assist gardaí yesterday. There were reports he may have indicated it was more a “road rage” incident, but this has not been confirmed.

The victim is under the care of doctors, and detectives were last night waiting to get the all-clear from them to talk to Mr O’Donovan.

Gardaí have spoken to people who witnessed the event and are also interviewing his ex-wife, who lives in nearby Mullagh, his partner, as well as associates, to see if any of them knew of a reason behind an abduction and who would have had a motivation to do so.

Garda sources said Mr O’Donovan’s two attackers appeared to have little concern of being seen by witnesses given they made no effort to conceal their faces.

When Mr O’Donovan left his home in the Swiftbrook estate, where he lives with his partner, a foreign national, he saw the men. He jumped into his BMW and drove to the edge of the estate, near Ballyjamesduff Rd.

The men, driving a high-powered BMW SUV, sped after him and drove his car off the road, over a kerb onto a grass verge, the marks clearly visible afterwards.

Witnesses saw Mr O’Donovan get out of his car and run across the green while being pursued by two men.

It is understood he fell a number of times, and was eventually caught by his attackers, who beat him up, before dragging him back to their 03 Monaghan-registered car.

Gardaí launched a major investigation on Tuesday night, but at 10am yesterday, a phone call alerted gardaí that Mr O’Donovan was safe. Detectives were yesterday drawing up a list of known criminals with a history of violence and abductions. Anyone with information is asked to ring Bailieboro Garda Station on 042 9694570.