Abducted man made dash for freedom, court hears

The son of a Limerick postmistress made a dramatic dash for freedom through open countryside after being abducted from his home at gunpoint, a court heard.

Stephen Cusack, 19, told a trial at Limerick Circuit Court he picked out a man in an identity parade at Henry Street Garda Station as being one of the three men who abducted him.

Zachary Coughlan Ryan, aged 34, of Brennan’s Row, Catherine Place, Limerick, has pleaded not guilty to falsely imprisoning Mr Cusack and Niall Reddan at a house in Caisleann na hAbhainn estate, Castletroy, on April 19/20, 2012.

The trial has been told the gang demanded €500,000 for the safe release of Mr Cusack, whose mother ran the post office in Garryowen. Mr Reddan earlier recalled how he was released and told to inform Mr Cusack’s family that they wanted the money for their son’s safe release.

On the fifth day of evidence yesterday, Mr Cusack said the friends were driven out the country in his pick-up truck after he was forced from his home with Mr Reddan.

On going into a passageway, the reverse lights of the truck came on. One of the men, who had got out of the front of the truck, had taken off a scarf he had covering his face. Mr Cusack said: “I got a fair good look at him, straight in the eye.” This man told him they were representing the Continuity IRA and another of the three said: “Will we kneecap them?”

Mr Cusack was then driven further on towards Donoughmore. Two of the gang took him out of the truck and brought him into a field. The two older men, one with a handgun and the other armed with a knife, went away saying they would be back in three or four hours. The younger one, armed with two knives, was left in charge of him.

When this person was on his phone and out of view, Mr Cusack said he got up and made a run for freedom. He ran through two fields, got through a hedge and an electric fence, before getting over a wall. He went to a house, and told what happened, but was told go away. He went to a house next door and on telling the man there what had happened, the resident rang the gardaí.

Mr Cusack said on Aug 29, 2012 he went to an identity parade at Henry Street Garda Station where he picked out one of the three who abducted him.