Gardaí in appeal for assistance in probe of taxi hijacking

Wednesday, 10 March 2010
GARDAI have appealed for information about a man who hijacked and robbed a taxi at knifepoint during a three-and-a-half hour cab journey from Carrick-on-Shannon in Leitrim to Roscommon town and onto Limerick. The taxi driver picked the man up at a taxi rank in Leitrim at around half past midnight on Sunday night/Monday morning and was asked to drive to Limerick. According to The taxi driver, aged in his late forties, told Gardai that he was not prepared to drive to Limerick and agreed to drop the male passenger at a half-way-point in Roscommon town. When the taxi got to Roscommon, the taxi driver told Gardai that his passenger produced a knife and order that the driver take him to Limerick. Gardai said the knife in question may have been 12-inches in length. When the pair arrived in Limerick, the taxi driver told Gardai that he was told to drive around for a while and that he remembered passing the Parkway Roundabout and the Childers Road area a number of times. Eventually the passenger told the driver to stop at Mount Saint Lawrence Cemetery and proceeded to rob the driver of his cash takings and the keys of the car. The driver was left at the Cemetery with his car and then contacted Gardai at around half-past three on Monday morning, March 8. Gardai said that the armed passenger was seen a short time later speaking to a woman who pulled up beside him on a roadway near Mount Saint Lawrence Cemetery and then drove off in a silver-coloured saloon type car. The man was last seen walking in the direction of the city centre. Gardai said they were anxious to speak with the woman in question and or anyone who may have witnessed anything suspicious on the night in question. The passenger is described as being aged in his 40s, about six-foot in height, of strong build, with tight dark-coloured hair. He was wearing glasses and was wearing a three-quarter-length jacket. The taxi driver was unharmed but left in a state of shock following his traumatic journey at the hands of the armed man. The taxi car is a Toyota Carina car registration 95-TN-1540 and was seen circling parts of Limerick city on the night in question. It had its taxi plate light switched off. Anyone who may have seen the car on the night or has any information is asked to contact Roxboro Road Gardai on 061-214340.

Limerick man appears in court over taxi hijack


Published Date: 18 March 2010
A Limerick man arrested and charged in relation with the hijacking of a Drumshanbo taxi-driver last week was due to appear before Limerick District Court yesterday, Tuesday, March 16.
Robert McNamara, 35, with an address at St Patrick's Park, Carrick-on-Shannon, was remanded in custody last Saturday after he appeared before a special sitting of Limerick District Court charged with false imprisonment and hijacking of a Drumshanbo taxi driver on Monday, March 8.

He was arrested in Carrick-on-Shannon just after 9am last Wednesday morning, March 10 and was questioned in Limerick Garda Station.
Mr McNamara was due to appear before the court again yesterday, Tuesday, March 16 via video link from Limerick Prison.