One of the Northern Bank staff forced to help an armed gang steal £26.5 million as his family were held hostage has spoken publicly about his ordeal.
Mr Chris Ward (23) was told by those who abducted him: "Look, Chris, we know everything about you and your family. We are going to take you away for 24 hours and if you co-operate everything will be OK. If you don't, you and your family are dead." He has recalled in detail how his family were taken hostage and how he was taken to the home of a bank colleague, also being held at gunpoint. He has also spoken about the detailed instructions he and the bank colleague Mr Kevin McMullan were given by the robbers and how the theft was carried out.
In interviews with the Irish News and BBC Northern Ireland, Mr Ward described the moment when he, his parents, his brother and his brother's girlfriend were taken hostage on Sunday, December 19th, in west Belfast.
"We were all made to swear that we would co-operate with the gang. I was told to go upstairs and get my work uniform as I was going to be taken away." He told how he was taken to his colleague's home in Loughinisland, Co Down. He recalled arriving at Mr McMullan's house which was in total darkness except for the light of a fridge which had been left open.
"I was told to sit down and lie on a mattress where Kevin was also tied," he said.
"I was in such a state one of the gang kicked me. He told Kevin to calm me down or someone would get hurt." He said the gang questioned Mr McMullan at length about the bank's security procedures. At 3 a.m. they were ordered to get some sleep.
"They told us we had a big day ahead of us and we had to make sure everything went right or someone would be killed." At 6 a.m. the gang left the house and left mobile phones with the two hostages, ordering them to keep in touch with them throughout the day.
"By then Kevin had told me the gang had taken his wife, Karen, away," Mr Ward said.
They then had to go to work as normal at midday. They travelled together by car, but then entered the Northern Bank separately so as not to appear unusual.
"You had to act as if nothing was wrong. . . it was very difficult to do. But you knew in the back of your head that you had to do it - that you couldn't tell anybody.
"If you phoned this confidential helpline that the bank say you have to, your family were gone - that's the reality of this."
Mr Ward give further details of a dummy run he was ordered to make before the bulk of the £26.5 million was taken.
"I just walked out of the bank and that was it, with over £1 million in my bag." He gave it to another gang member on a Belfast street who identified himself by saying: "All right, Chris, have you got something for me for Christmas?"
He said at no time did the robbers enter the Northern Bank. Instead the two men carried dozens of boxes containing the cash to the robbers' white Ford van.
After the robbery was completed the two men were told to drive to Mr Ward's home after 9 p.m. where they were met by three gang members. "After some time the gang told us that Kevin's wife was safe and they were leaving."