Kidnap and robbery Hannastown and Sprucefield
18 Dec 2008
Detectives from the PSNI Crime Operations Major Investigation Team are appealing for information following a robbery in which a woman and her two young children were held captive.
A number of men called at their Hannastown home between 4:30 and 6:30 on Thursday December 18 and forced them into a blue Ford Transit van, which was driven to the Boucher Road area. The woman's partner who works for a large retail company in Sprucefield was told to drive his own car to work and take money from a safe. He was then told to take the money to a silver or grey Vauxhall Corsa car which waited nearby. That car had a sticker with the Scottish flag on the back.
The woman and her children escaped unharmed but shaken by their ordeal. The van has been seized by police for forensic examination.
Police are appealing for anyone who saw the blue van in the Hannastown area that morning, or around the Boucher area, anytime after 4:30am. It is understood the van was stolen from the Garvagh area on 16 September. The number plate it bore during the robbery was OUI 4201, which is a false number plate. The correct plate should read INZ 4763.
They are also appealing for anyone who was in the Sprucefield area that morning and saw the Vauxhall Corsa driving around the Sprucefield or Lisburn areas to contact them at the incident room. The number is 028 9056 1812 or 0845 600 8000. The Crimestoppers number can also be called on 0800 555 111.
