One of four kidnap accused not guilty after 45-day trial

One of four men accused of taking part in the kidnapping of a Securicor worker and his family and the robbery of the company of €2.28m has been found not guilty after a 45-day trial.

Alan Costello, aged 50, was alleged to have been the driver for an armed kidnap gang which burst into the family home of Paul Richardson on the night of Mar 13, 2005. The gang took Mr Richardson’s wife and their two teenage sons into the Dublin mountains and held them at gunpoint overnight.

Other gang members held Mr Richardson at gunpoint at his home until the next morning when he was told to go to work and deliver the cash to a drop-off point.