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GARDAÍ INVESTIGATING THE disappearance of 22-year-old Trevor Deely in December 2000 are following new lines of inquiry that are bringing them closer to finding out what happened to the young man.
Today marks 17 years since Trevor, who was from Naas in Co Kildare, went missing after his work Christmas party. He worked for Bank of Ireland Asset Management and had gone back to his office in the early hours of the morning to collect an umbrella for his walk home. The last sighting of Trevor was captured on CCTV at an ATM on Haddington Road at 4.44am on 8 December 2000.
In August this year, gardaí announced that a search was beginning on a site in Chapelizod based on new information investigators had received. The search for the young man’s remains was called off in September and gardaí said at the time that they had not found anything that would assist in helping them locate him.
Speaking to TheJournal.ie this week, Detective Inspector Paul Costello said the decision to search the site was based on “a very genuine piece of information”.
“A lot of it added up and it did fit, so we couldn’t leave it behind us,” he said.
“If we were not to do it properly, we’d always be wondering – and so would the family.”
Trevor’s sister Michele has described the experience over August and September this year as “incredibly difficult”. She said some of the theories put forward in the media, which included a suggestion that his disappearance maybe gangland-linked, made things worse for the family.
“We knew a dig had very serious connotations, and what may come from that, but to do it in such a glare of that type of headline… certainly for me I had never ever imagined that’s what happened to Trevor that night,” she told RTÉ’s Ray D’Arcy Show on Saturday.
“And we know now that was not true now.”
‘Old-fashioned policing’
Detective Inspector Costello told TheJournal.ie that, 17 years on, gardaí are still actively investigating this case – and they are not going to stop.
Since that search finished, we’re happy to put that behind us and we’re looking at other avenues. There’s one or two lines of inquiry that have us very, very busy and we’ll see what develops from there but we’re not stopping.
They’re independent of it [the search] and there’s a lot of facets to it and a lot of different angles that we’ve been working on. Through old-fashioned policing we’re tracking down people and as we find them, every now and again, we’re getting to someone who knows something or saw something – little bits – that’s putting us in the right direction.
In April this year, gardaí had released enhanced CCTV footage of the morning the 22-year-old disappeared.
The footage shows him talking to a man outside the gate of his office and later footage shows a person gardaí believe is this same man passing the ATM on Haddington Road just seconds after Trevor.
Costello said that it was a busy morning with a lot of “comings and goings”.
“There was a taxi strike, there was a lot of people there – early morning delivery people, there were people still working through the night as there were in Bank of Ireland Asset Management [where Trevor worked],” he said.
“There was lots of other people in that area, you know, prostitutes, their minders, other people who were connected to that area and also the late night shops and garage – people in there buying fuel and so on. All of those people have to be tracked down through appeals, through every kind of method. All those people have to be spoken to and we’re still tracking them down.
“A lot of people in that industry used different identities or changed their names afterwards, and there’s a lot of work trying to find them. So there’s a lot of new stuff that’s come in and we’re still working on it.”
When asked whether he was confident that gardaí could still find out what happened to Trevor, Costello replied with a simple “Yes”.
Crimestoppers is still offering a reward for anyone with information in relation to this case and can be contacted anonymously on 1800 25 00 25.
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Google can set up shop here and pay (almost) no corporation tax on hundreds of millions of profits, but I as an SME owner have to pay the full rate on tens of thousands profit. A multi-billion dollar US investment fund can set up shop in Ireland and pay (almost) no tax, but if I want to invest in the very same fund as an individual I pay punitive tax rates of almost 50%. Something is rotten in the state of Ireland.
@SkepticalHippoEyes: your right but as long as there are poorer countries around the world the threat that the multinational could move there we are in a weak position .Money is the controlling power
@SkepticalHippoEyes: There is a belief amongst politicians and senior civil servants in this country that we must genuflect before America corporations while simultaneously screwing all available funds from EU supports to the MSME sector.
They have gotten away with it up to now. However that particular chicken (or even turkey!) may be about to come home to roost.
@SkepticalHippoEyes: And good luck to you mate. This country needs people like you to survive and thrive.
@SkepticalHippoEyes: The facts are we are a wee little island on the edge of Europe with terrible weather. What this means is we have to attract companies in by doing what other are not doing, in this case low corporation tax. If these companies go we are Greece without the weather, back to the 80s everyone broke and on the dole…..if you want to go back there well good luck to you but I say no thanks! Its a pity that our corrupt government have not created a balanced society with costs controlled but that is down to corrupt governance which unfortunately the majority are happy to go along with.
@FlopFlipU: there are countries around the world similar size to us that have built up their own industry, rather than relying entirely on FDI. Estonia and Israel have a very substantial home grown tech sector for instance, whereas the majority of our tech sector is dominated by US firms. I’m not against them being here or trying to attract them into the economy, but we just need someone like Trump in the US to change the policy there, and they will out because that is where the majority of their marker already is – it’s like expecting relationship commitment from a no strings attached fling.
@SkepticalHippoEyes: What’s rotten is the parties that have controlled this state for too long…The Dail needs fresh air and parties that represent the people not corporations
@Joe Vlogs: Israel is bankrolled by the states and Estonia are you having a laugh there?…..its the eurozone’s poorest country.
@Joe Vlogs: some one like Trump!!! If that were to happen say goodbye to any public health care that is in the country at the moment. If you could not afford a doctor you would be dead! In fact any public funded benefits would be gone
@Peter Hughes: Latvia, Lithuania, Slovakia and Greece all have GDP per capita lower than Estonia, so, no, Estonia is not the Eurozone’s poorest country.
@SkepticalHippoEyes: any Irish domiciled Google company pays 12.5% on its profits. If it doesn’t make any profits they don’t pay tax. The same methods to not make a profit in Ireland are open to you.
@SkepticalHippoEyes: by the way google Ireland paid an effective tax rate of 26% in 2019. Much higher that your effective tax rate I’d imagine.
@SkepticalHippoEyes: why are people so obsessed with corporation tax. CT makes up a small amount of overall tax intake. What about all of the people these companies employ who pay income tax and then the company pays employer PRSI. They also pay VAT!
@Peter Hughes: As a commentator above commented, Estonia is in no way the Eurozone’s poorest country, and is where many internationally renowned companies started, including TransferWise, Bolt and Skype. Israel also has plenty of tech startups, such as Wix, Viber, Mindspace, Waze and Gett. The difference is both countries have policies to grow domestic startups as opposed to trying to attract startups into the country from abroad.
Also, it is ‘it’s', not ‘its’.
We are a tax haven for multinationals.
They would not be here otherwise.
@Vladimir Macro: if those multinationals up sticks and moved to poorer countries, we would be in deep trouble. I’ll get over the tax part, they employ thousands upon thousands of Irish people that contribute to the economy. Not to mention the indirect companies that provide supplies and services.
@Linda Daly: If they did maybe we’d start working to make the country better. Be a first, in 100 years but it’s be great to have some sustainable ‘supplies and services’ to take us into the next century, right now I don’t see it, and it wont happen when we’re all focused on middle managing some pharma for a shiny new Passat.
@Linda Daly: and? One guy shouldn’t pay his fair share of tax because he creates business opportunities and employment..?…. youre making it out like he/they are the only ones. And if they werent there youre implying there’d be no opportunities or employment? Irish sme’s will never get the chance to become bigger and/or give more employment and/or opportunities when they are made to foot the tax bills of the elite. Emergency legislation across the western world filtered tons of cash toward giant corporations once again so their profits have rocketed through the lockdown while the rest of us live on the real world. Neo liberal nonsense in my opinion and so many like to support it. Any wonder the gap between us and them grows bigger by the day when their supported by so many
@thesaltyurchin: Like we did in the 80s?…..you have not got a clue what you are on about, you live in a land of the leprechauns lol.
@Linda Daly: if unions had that power that government would send in the cops. Can they not just pay their way like everyone else? Is that so hard?
Slightly aside. It galls me that these big multinationals work the system in order to pay little, or no, tax. During the lockdown I tried to buy a couple of DVD’s for the kids. The usual default to Amazon quoted a delivery charge of 260 pounds. I used an Irish supplier, they were cheaper and delivered quickly via An Post. All parties paying tax along the way. Same for some books I wanted to read. We overlook that there are small Irish businesses, all paying tax that we should be supporting.
Instead of that we fund a man that wants to go to the moon but won’t contribute to that hospital bed you might need someday. We buy shiny new phones from a company that (arguably) owes is 13 billion in unpaid taxes, the list goes on and on. If all these paid tax share, the PAYE workers could pay less
@Bob Murray: 260 pounds? Did you ask them to deliver it to the moon?
@Jim Buckley Barrett: Jeff probably would have done that for free! But, no, usual delivery to the home address. How that company (and many others beside) took advantage of Covid is awful. I expect the 260 pounds was just another one of those attempts.
@Bob Murray: then tell your government:
Have you phoned your TD.
The problem with the Irish voter right there. They think it all happens in a vacuum
@Bob Murray: I presume you do not try to minimise your tax liability by availing of any tax credits or relief that you are legally entitled to.
@Bob Murray: what were you doing on amazon in the first place If you are so moralistic and anti big companies.
Looking for a cheap bargain to save you some money instead of paying the higher price to a local business. Breaking your own rules…
@Bob Murray: buy amz prime you muppet
@Bob Murray: I tried to buy a computer chair mat from ikea during lock down 19.99 for the mat and they wanted 50 euro to deliver it
@Bob Murray: I tried to buy a computer chair mat from ikea during lock down 19.99 for the mat and they wanted 50 euro to deliver it and I live local
@Kathryn O Reilly: the ikea delivery charge is always 50€, also if you buy a sofa
I thought the multinationals were here for our young educated workforce and the weather because FF/FG keep telling me we are not a tax haven.
@Willie: we are not a tax haven. Just have a very low and easy to navigate tax system.
Unless all the members of IBEC calling for a change to 1m have suddenly acquired medical or epidemiological qualifications then they need to pipe down. There may well be a case for changing it but we don’t need them “lobbying” for it. There may also be a need for some ongoing financial support for businesses who open adhering to the 2m rule to “top up” their income or a way to reduce their overheads further until they are able to safely open to more customers. I totally support getting the economy opened up but it needs to be done in line with the science.
MNC are here not solely here due to tax. This is just absurd and if whoever says that clearly has no experience of working in one. Ireland offers just top of my head:
- Educated English speaking workforce.
- They are very cheap who are willing to work long + flexible hours
- Excellent timezone to support all regions.
- Easy lobbing at government level.
- Excellent climate for data centers.
- Myriad of other grants that they can avail.
@Z Exotic: The tax rate goes they would be gone tomorrow and the country with them…..lets not fool ourselves now.
@Peter Hughes: The FG “Fear Team” out again today I see.
@Jack Cass: Sadly not… if we are more expensive than other countries those multinationals would go. They usually only lease their buildings and could move.
The other EU countries could barely compete and therefore often poking at the tax.
We can be happy that Malta seems stuffed atm…
@Peter Hughes: maybe, but we have some other advantages as well. Some of which are mentioned above. We also don’t have archaic outlooks on business like Germany and France and the legal system fits well with the US.
This is spot. People defend 12.5% tax religiously, as though it provides some benefit to them, when to the contrary, it costs you more in income tax.
If we take MNCs are their face value, that they would leave if the rate went up at all (though dubious — you’re not exactly going to *admit* “we’d stay until 15%”), this shows the huge danger of overdependence on MNCs who can up and move at will. Just look at 2008 when everyone else had to take their medicine and pay more for less. Unless of course you’re an MNC because raising corporation tax would be sacrilege.
@Gerard: if they paid 12.5% that would be wonderful as opposed to 0.005 % paid by Apple or 0% paid by Starbuck and they’re merely an example of the tax avoidance thats ongoing…not to mention the vulture funds who also pay no tax on profits or indeed the Banks who will pay no tax on profits.Fg have no interest in Joe soap as they live, wine,dine and cavort with the big shots who have their ear 24/7.
@paul gurney: they do pay 12.5%. You understand that 12.5% is applied on your profits. If you don’t have any profits you don’t pay tax. Most of the MNCs make sure they generate the majority of their profits on Ireland to pay 12.5% rather than the extortionate rates in other EU countries. Those other EU countries operate crazy socialist models where lower earning employees pay higher taxes than in Ireland. In business terms a lot of other EU countries live in the dark ages.
IBEC has already cost this country lives in the name of profits and wants that trend to continue ..FG love it…
More lobbying from people who have a vested financial interest. Not biased at all…
@Natalka Mayo: social distancing in the public is definitely at 1m at the moment putting it down to 1m would just result in people ignoring it all together.
Danny McCoy is a clown he is still at this stage comparing the coronavirus to the flu so disrespectful to the families who have lost love ones to covid.
@Seamus Bridgeman: you realise that people lose loved ones to the flu every year?
@Joe: flu and a chronic lung infection are not the same. Professor Mallon said they are getting lots of caeses of people coming back in who only had mild covid and are now showing poorer lung capacity and heart problems… The worlds best minds reckon we now only know 60% about covid and its dangers. But McCoy reckons comes winter we wont be able to tell the difference between covid and flu.
We could reduce to one metre at the start of Phase 3 if all is going well. It is less than 3 weeks, it would give us a chance to fully knock this on the head like New Zealand. .
Short-term ism of ibec will bankrupt the economy for circa ten years when with four more weeks we could crush covidcand be cleanig pp financially. Wait and see they will be hoist on their own petard.
Ibec – a registered Trade Union who continually oppose any suggestion that the firms they represent should recognise and negotiate with Unions representing employees.
All IBEC is interested in is increasing the profits of its members.There experts at putting on the poor mouth.I’ll love to know how much Danny McCoy earns.
Ibec are geebags tbh
Ibec willing to take responsibility for any necessary deaths as a result?
Only if IBEC knew what they were doing !!
Only if IBEC knew what they were doing !!
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