Gardai in Galway investigating an attempted abduction of a woman from her car yesterday have not ruled out a possible link with the recent murder of a female taxi driver. The incident is reported to have occurred in Castlegar in Galway city. The woman, who was alone, was reportedly stopped by a man at about 1 a.m. yesterday. He opened the car door and attempted to pull her out but she resisted successfully.
Detectives have not ruled out a possible link with the murder of taxi-driver Mrs Eileen Costello-O'Shaughnessy (47), on November 30th, and are concentrating this inquiry on the Sandyvale Lawn area off the Headford Road.
Sandyvale Lawn is less than a mile from the Tuam road where Mrs O'Shaughnessy's abandoned car was found late on November 30th. House inquiries were taking place yesterday in an attempt to find the murder weapon.
Mrs O'Shaughnessy's battered body was discovered in a laneway at Knockdoemore, just off the Tuam-Galway road, on December 1st.
The Mill Street team has moved to scotch some "rumours". They say i have said that one of one claim - that Mrs O'Shaughnessy was witness to a fatal attack in Eyre Square - is without foundation. Mrs O'Shaughnessy was also particularly security conscious, but this did not necessarily mean that she knew her killer, the gardai have said. The radio had been ripped out from the car and robbery is thought to have been the motive.
Detectives, led by Supt Tony Finnerty of Mill Street station, are confident of making a breakthrough in the case.
Earlier this week, a photofit of the last passenger believed to have been carried by Mrs O'Shaughnessy was issued. A photofit of a man who was seen jumping over a wall near where Mrs O'Shaughnessy's taxi was abandoned was also issued.
Gardai are anxious to speak to anyone fitting either description - the first being a man of average build, believed to be about 20 years old and wearing a baseball cap, and the second a man in his mid-20s with fair to red hair. More than 3,000 people have been interviewed to date.
In a separate case, a bail application in the High Court in Dublin today by a man charged in connection with the death of the Inverin farmer, Mr Tom Clisham, is expected to be opposed by the State. The body of Mr Clisham (53), who lived alone, was found on December 4th. He had been dead for some days.
Mr Patrick Joseph McGreene (28), a nephew of Mr Clisham, was charged at Galway District Court on December 8th with "intentionally or recklessly causing serious harm" to Mr Clisham between November 24th and December 4th.
Galway gardai have also confirmed that a file on one of three men under investigation for alleged child sex abuse had been sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions six years ago.
No prosecutions resulted due to lack of evidence, but this file will be reopened as part of the investigation, based at Salthill Garda station.
