A former girlfriend of a bank official who was forced to hand over €7.6 million during a kidnapping and robbery has sued his employers over alleged negligence.
Stephanie Smith (24, above) was in a relationship with Bank of Ireland employee Shane Travers who, on February 26th, 2006, was forced to hand over money from B of I’s premises at College Green, Dublin, while armed masked men held Ms Smith and two of her family hostage. She claims post-traumatic stress disorder and depression from her ordeal.
In her action against the governor and Bank of Ireland, Ms Smith, a hairdresser from Stonebridge House, Badger Hill, Kill, Co Kildare, says the bank failed to have any regard for the health and safety of its employees’ co-habitants. It is also claimed the bank exposed her to a foreseeable security-related injury and to danger and injury of which it knew or ought to have known. The bank denies all the claims.
When the matter came yesterday before the president of the High Court, Mr Justice Nicholas Kearns, he directed trial of a preliminary issue as to whether the bank owed a duty of care to Ms Smith.