Forensic evidence may link men to raid

Gardaí investigating this week's robbery in which a family was held at gunpoint in their home near Killenaule, Co Tipperary, in the middle of the night believe forensic evidence arising from an assault on one family member, Mark Corcoran, may link seven arrested men to the crime.

Gardaí yesterday applied to the District Court in Cashel for permission to detain the men for a third 24-hour period, allowing for their detention for the full 72 hours available to gardaí.

The Corcoran family members were said to be deeply traumatised by the attack in the early hours of Thursday morning, but were recovering last night. Gardaí believe they were targeted because the family runs furniture and gym equipment businesses and the raiders mistakenly believed they would have cash in their house.

Other offences
Some of the seven men arrested are on bail for other serious offences, including possession of a firearm and assaulting a garda. All are known to gardaí and are part of a gang long suspected of a series of robberies similar to the one in Co Tipperary.

Two of the seven were detained in rush-hour traffic at Newlands Cross in west Dublin on Thursday morning travelling in the Corcorans' Kia Sportage 4x4 which was stolen from their house after the robbery.

About €1,300 in cash was found in the car as well as jewellery which had been taken from the house and two shotguns.

The other five men arrested were travelling in a VW Passat which had been stolen in Castlecomer, Co Kilkenny, a few hours before the raid.

Gardaí believe the gang members left their base in Coolock, north Dublin, in two cars – a Saab and a Passat – very late on Wednesday night or just after midnight.

However, the Saab broke down near Urlingford, Co Kilkenny, and the gang members crammed into the Passat before stealing a Subaru in nearby Castlecomer.

When they reached the Corcoran home at Burnchurch, near Killenaule, they tried to break open the front door with crowbars. When that failed they broke the livingroom window and climbed in. They threatened the couple with guns and tied them up, hitting Mr Corcoran across the face with the butt of one of the guns.