GARDAÍ INVESTIGATING the false imprisonment of former Kilkenny hurler Adrian Ronan and his family and the attempted robbery of a bank in Kilkenny last November were continuing to question 10 people last night.
The six men and four women were arrested yesterday morning following a series of raids in Dublin. They were detained in various Garda stations throughout the southeast, including Kilkenny, Carlow, Waterford, Thomastown and Tramore.
Six of those arrested were held under section 50 of the Criminal Justice Act 2007, while four were held under section 30 of the Offences Against the State Act 1939.
The Ronan family’s ordeal began at their home at Michael’s Church, Ballycallan, Co Kilkenny, at 6.15am on November 3rd last. Three masked men, at least one of whom was armed with a handgun, broke into the house.
Ms Ronan was taken away at gunpoint. Mr Ronan was left with instructions to go to work as normal at 9am to the Parliament Street branch of the Bank of Ireland in Kilkenny. He was told his wife would only be released if he took €3 million from the branch.
The gang gave him a phone saying they would ring him later and direct him where to drop the money off for collection.
The three Ronan children, all of whom are below the age of 10, were asleep when the raiders broke into their house. Mr Ronan took them in to work with him.
When the gang members rang Mr Ronan just before noon, he told them he was only able to get €200,000 because of the time-lock systems on the safe. They demanded he get more money.
Just after 1pm the gang rang him back and told him to put whatever money he had in a bag and await further instruction. He never heard from the gang again.
The bank had told gardaí what was happening and a major Garda operation was put in place.
Ms Ronan was being held at an unattended weather station on the Granges Road, close to St Luke’s Hospital in Kilkenny city. The man holding her left her there in the early afternoon and she managed to make her way outside. She was spotted by gardaí just after 2pm and reunited with her husband and children a short time later.