SOCIAL MEDIA VIDEO SHOWED SUSPECT PICKING UP NEW CAR

MARK Hennessy appeared in a car dealership promotion video, which showed him buying the Nissan Qashqai he allegedly used when abducting Jastine Valdez.

The video was filmed at Windsor Motors in Bray on September 25, 2017, and was posted on Facebook to promote a sale deal they were running on the 171 Nissan models.

The footage shows a staff member speaking to Hennessy outside the dealership about the newly-purchased car.

‘I’ve Mark here with me at the moment. Mark picked up his 171 Nissan Qashqai off us there on Saturday,’ the staff member is heard saying as the camera focuses in on the father-of-two.

‘He was due in the Saturday before but his partner went into labour and they ended up with a beautiful baby daughter, Sophie, so he came in Saturday to pick it up. Mark, how do you find the car?

‘Absolutely beautiful now, it drives really well, delighted with it,’ Hennessy said to the camera.

‘The staff treated me very well here as well.’

The pair then went on to discuss the car’s safety features and its panoramic roof.

Ms Valdez was seen being forced into the same car on Saturday afternoon before she was reported missing.

The car was reportedly spotted by members of the Civil Defence who alerted gardaí.