Couple escaped kidnap because raider fell asleep

One of the masked raiders involved in the false imprisonment of a married couple at their home in Rochestown, Cork, last May fell asleep during the crime which gave the householder the chance to untie himself and get out of the house to alert the gardaí, it emerged today.

The jury was told on the opening day of the trial of one man facing five charges arising out of the crime that the gardaí arrived and arrested two men leaving the house. It is claimed that they were caught red-handed.

Gerard Clarke, aged 38, of 2 St. John’s Terrace, Upper John Street, Cork, has pleaded not guilty to two charges of possessing firearms, two of falsely imprisoning the couple and one of making a threat intending Gary O’Donovan to believe it would be carried out, namely to kill or cause him serious harm, at 7 Dewberry, Mount Oval Village, Rochestown, Cork, on May 2 and 3.

Prosecution senior counsel, John Edwards, said it was the State’s view one of the two raiders who initially entered the house was smaller than the other man and carried a stun gun and the prosecution claimed the evidence would show this smaller man was Clarke.

During the outline of the evidence expected to come in the trial, Mr Edwards SC, said the two men forced their way into the house knocking Katie O’Donovan to the floor. She was six months pregnant and her four children slept upstairs throughout the ordeal.

During their imprisonment at their home, Gary O’Donovan was told to kneel down and his shoe laces were used to tie his hands behind his back. He had a hood placed over his head.

“Gary O’Donovan became aware of noise, a snoring noise. He suspected the man

watching him had in fact fallen asleep. He untied himself. He lifted his hood and saw his captor was asleep with the stun gun cradled in his arm. He sneaked out of the room and left the sleeping raider behind him,” Mr Edwards SC said.

He made his way to a neighbours house and rang 999 and also called his brother-in-law, Sergeant Gary McPolin.Within minutes a large number of gardaí had the house under surveillance.

Two raiders exited, Gardaí Joe Young and John McDonagh were armed and they shouted: “Armed gardaí.” One raider dropped his revolver and was arrested.

The second man whom the State say was Gerard Clarke, tried to run but was also arrested, “caught red-handed”, according to Mr Edwards SC.

Mrs O’Donovan’s car keys were in his pocket, as was a balaclava according to the outline of the evidence on the opening day of the trial.