Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.

Trial of Cavanman accused of involvement tiger kidnapping continues

A detective has told a jury that he believes that a man allegedly involved in a €90,000 tiger kidnapping four years ago has ties to organised crime, writes

Brion Hoban.

Paschal Kelly (52) with an address at Ballyjamesduff has pleaded not guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to trespass and to falsely imprisoning postmistress Susan Lawlor, her daughter Emma Carter and Italian student Gabriella Saisa at Seabury Drive, Malahide, Dublin, on September 25, 2014.

Mr Kelly has also pleaded not guilty to robbing Ms Lawlor of cash at Bayside Post Office, Sutton, Dublin, and threatening to kill her, Ms Carter and Ms Saisa at an unknown location in the State. He has also denied unlawful possession of a vehicle, all on the same date.

Martin O'Rourke SC, defending, asked Detective Garda Domhnall O'Connell whether Kelly was a man that “gardaí would dearly love to see locked up” outside of his alleged involvement in this case.

Det O'Connell said he disagreed.

Mr O'Rourke asked whether the detective believed that Mr Kelly was related to organised crime and Det O'Connell agreed that he did hold this view.

Det O'Connell said a man who ran a dog kennel was not a suspect in the case, despite a price tag for a dog product being discovered in a car allegedly used in the commission of the kidnapping.

“A lot of people own dogs,” he said.

Mr O'Rourke put it to him that this man resembled the descriptions given by several witnesses of one of the men allegedly involved in the case in that he has grey hair and a beard. 

Det O'Connell said that, in the photo he had of the man, he had a full head of black hair and no beard.

Det O'Connell told Kerida Naidoo SC, prosecuting, that the reason that gardaí did not hold an identity parade in this case was due to there being no realistic prospect of identification as Mr Kelly's appearance had changed considerably since the date of the alleged offence.

The trial will continue in evidence before the jury and Judge Karen O'Connor tomorrow (Tuesday).