A former chief executive of National Irish Bank told the Special Criminal Court yesterday of his ordeal when an armed gang held his wife and family hostage for ransom. Mr Jim Lacey said up to seven hooded gunmen burst into his house in Blackrock, Co Dublin, after he and his wife had returned from a bank opening in Clonmel.
"Just as I had the door open I heard my wife scream my name. I looked around and a hooded man got to her and then three or four others appeared.
"I tried to push her away and I was struck on the head and knocked to the ground. The next thing I saw was a gun pointing at my head and my wife sitting at my feet with a gun pointed at her head and a number of hooded men entering my home."
Mr Lacey said that after the gang had taken away his wife, four children and babysitter he went to the National Irish Bank in College Green and arranged for £243,000 in cash to be loaded into a van, which was driven away by Mr Joseph Kavanagh.
Mr Kavanagh (38), of Benbulben Road, Crumlin, Dublin, has denied falsely imprisoning Mr Lacey, his wife, Ms Joan Lacey, and the couple's daughter, Ms Suzanne Lacey, at Blackrock, Co Dublin, on November 2nd, 1993.
Mr Kavanagh also denied the theft of cash from Mr Eugene Keenan, demanding cash with menaces and having a handgun with intent to commit false imprisonment on November 2nd, 1993.
At the opening of the trial, the State agreed not to proceed with another charge against Mr Kavanagh of conspiring with persons unknown to demand money with menaces from Mr Keenan, the manager of National Irish Bank, College Green, between October 15th and November 3rd, 1993, after an objection from Mr Kavanagh's counsel, Mr Barry White SC.
Mr White also told the court his client had brought unsuccessful judicial review proceedings in the High Court and Supreme Court to prevent the DPP proceeding with the trial in the Special Criminal Court. He said Mr Kavanagh had now filed a complaint to the United Nations Human Rights Committee.
Mr Kavanagh answered: "No" when asked to stand for arraignment by the court registrar and sat in the dock as the charges were read out.
Replying to prosecuting counsel, Mr Paul O'Higgins SC, Mr Lacey said that in November 1993 he lived with his wife, Joan, and their four children then aged 14, 13, 10 and six, at Grove Avenue, Blackrock.
Mr Lacey said that after returning with his wife from the opening of a new NIB branch in Clonmel in the early hours of November 2nd, 1993, his wife opened one of the gates to let the car in.
He said that after the hooded gunmen got into his house one of them went upstairs, another went to the kitchen and his wife was shouting. The gunmen became very abusive and threatened that they would shoot them if they did not co-operate.
He was taken into the living room where he was put lying on the floor beside one of his daughters. The men were all hooded and heavily armed and communicated with each other using the numbers one to seven only.
His wife was brought in and put lying on the floor, and the gang said they wanted to get the children. Mrs Lacey became very concerned and protested, but the gunmen told her she had "caused enough damage".
Mr Lacey said there was a minimum of three gunmen with them at all times and he was handcuffed and the children were taken upstairs and told to get dressed.
His wife and children and the babysitter, Ms Tanya Waters, were then taken into the dining room.
A gang member told him another man would be brought to the house and they would both go to the NIB branch at College Green and empty the premises.
Later the accused man, Mr Kavanagh, was brought into the room. He was shuffling and dirty and heavily bearded. He was taken upstairs and returned wearing one of Mr Lacey's suits.
Mr Lacey was handed Polaroid pictures of his wife and children and told if he wanted to see them alive again he should follow his instructions. He was also told that his son had been shot in the hand.
The witness said that later he became aware that everyone had gone except him and Mr Kavanagh. They left for the NIB at College Green at 10 a.m. They went to Merrion Church where they transferred to a van and then they went to the NIB branch in College Green.
He said Mr Kavanagh told him he had been kidnapped himself and showed him photos of his mother-in-law and two sons and said they were in danger from the gang unless he co-operated.
At the bank Mr Lacey said he told the branch manager, Mr Keenan, the situation and made arrangements for money to be loaded into the van.
Mr Keenan said he arranged for a total of £243,000 in cash to be loaded.
Earlier, opening the prosecution case, Mr O'Higgins said it was the prosecution case that Mr Kavanagh was an active participant in the plot to get money from the bank.
The trial continues today.