German carjacking victims offered free B&B stay

A kind-hearted businessman has offered to put up a German couple at his B&B for free as they recover from Monday’s violent carjacking in Wicklow.

The couple, both aged in their 70s, were shoved to the ground by a gang of four criminals who stole their car after their own vehicle crashed into a bus.

The couple had stopped their German-registered car to offer assistance. But the gang knocked them over before stealing their C-class Mercedes.

Yesterday, Noel and Helen Jacob, who own the Jacobs Well Guesthouse in Rathdrum, said they put the couple up on Monday night.

“We were disgusted at what happened.... We’re trying very hard around here to promote the area for tourists and it was just to do something and make it up to them in some way.”

Mr Jacob said the German man was “very philosophical” about what happened: “He said it was one of those things. He was very decent. When you think of it, they stopped out of the goodness of their heart to help these people and this happens.”

He said the couple were welcome to stay at their B&B for “as long as they want”.

Meanwhile, gardaí yesterday appealed for witnesses to come forward. The gold- coloured Northern-registered Volvo S60 collided with a bus on the Rathdrum to Laragh road at 2.30pm.

Gardaí are looking for any sightings of a German registered black Mercedes C180 between Rathdrum and Tullow. They are also trying to locate property missing from the couple’s car, including three bags.

Anybody with information is asked to contact Wicklow Garda Station on 0404 60140.