Jastine’s kidnapper shot dead by gardaí
■ Abduction suspect gunned down after manhunt and stand-off ■ Officers broaden the search for missing 24-year-old woman ■ Her family moved from Philippines to Ireland three years ago
A FATHER of two suspected of abducting 24-year-old student Jastine Valdez in a random attack has been shot dead by gardaí.
Mark Hennessy (40), a married father of two young children, was confronted in a car park in south Dublin last night following a massive search for the missing woman.
It is understood Hennessy was armed with a knife and threatened to self-harm and stab gardaí before he was shot by a detective.
Despite the vehicle used in the abduction being recovered, gardaí have still not been able to locate Jastine and fears are mounting for the Tallaght IT student.
Gardaí were last night attempting to piece together Hennessy’s movements since 5pm on Saturday when he left his home in Bray, Co Wicklow.
The kidnapping suspect, a building contractor who was originally from Ballybrack, had told his wife he was going out socialising.
He has no obvious connections to Jastine and her movements on the day she went missing were random, leading gardaí to believe the attack was completely unplanned.
A FATHER of two suspected of abducting 24-year-old student Justine Valdez in a random attack has been shot dead by gardaí.
Mark Hennessy (40), who was married with two young children, was confronted in a car park in south Dublin after a massive search operation for the missing woman.
A senior source told the Irish Independent that the kidnapping suspect was armed with a knife when gardaí approached him at the Cherrywood industrial estate.
It is understood that Hennessy threatened to self-harm and stab gardaí, before he was shot by a detective from a south Dublin garda station.
However, despite the vehicle used in the abduction being recovered, gardaí have still not being able to locate Jastine, a Filipino woman who lived in Enniskerry, Co Wicklow.
Gardai were last night attempting to piece together Hennessy’s movements since 5pm on Saturday when he left his home in Bray, Co Wicklow.
The kidnapping suspect, a building contractor originally from Ballybrack, had told his wife he was going out socialising on Saturday evening.
He has no obvious connections to Jastine and her movements on the day she went missing were random, leading gardai to believe the attack was completely unplanned.
The young student was abducted by a man driving a black Nissan Qashqai as she walked home near Enniskerry about 6.30pm on Saturday. There has been no sighting of her since.
Following a massive garda appeal for information about the car, Hennessy was sighted at Killiney Dart station yesterday afternoon.
When confronted by members of the public, he mounted a curb in the Qashqai and fled the scene at speed.
He was later traced to the Cherrywood industrial estate where a stand-off with gardaí ensued.
Hennessy was shot dead and, as is normal when a garda firearm is discharged, the Garda Siochana Ombudsman Com-
mission (GSOC) is investigating the shooting.
However fears are mounting for Jastine after she was not found in the car.
She and her parents, who are from the Philippines, have been living in Ireland for the past three years.
A student at Tallaght IT, Jastine had got off a bus in Enniskerry on Saturday evening and was walking home along Kilcroney Road, near the Powerscourt estate, when the Qashqai pulled alongside her.
Witnessed
The driver of the car pulled her into the vehicle and then drove off at high speed.
A woman and her young family witnessed the incident and alerted the gardaí.
About an hour later, a man phoned the gardai to say he had spotted a young woman in distress in a car on the N11, a short distance from where the abduction took place.
Gardai checked the area and set up a wider search for the car.
But when Jastine’s parents contacted gardai at 11pm on Saturday to report she was missing, a large-scale investigation was launched.
A divisional search party was sent out at first light yesterday and officers found Jastine’s mobile phone and some other personal belongings including a bag near where she had been abducted.
The air support unit was involved while gardaí also received assistance from the Civil Defence. Members of the Garda technical bureau carried out extensive searches.
Jastine is described as 5ft tall, slightly built with long, black hair and brown eyes. When last seen, she was wearing a dark-coloured jacket, a white T-shirt, grey leggings and runners.
Gardaí appealed to anyone with information about the incident or the car to contact them at Bray station on 01 6665300 or the Garda Confidential Line 1800 666111.
‘The driver of the car pulled her into the vehicle and then drove off at high speed’