Irish couple in Albuferia kidnapped at gunpoint and robbed

Murt10 · 12-01-2019 12:56PM #1

Just listened to a piece on "Talk to Joe" about an Irish couple who were kidnapped and robbed at gunpoint last week in Abbuferia by a gang of three Roma gypsies.

They threatened to shoot him and sell his fiancee into the sex trade. They took them in a car to the bank machine.

To crown off their holiday from hell, they stayed indoors in their hotel and only went out again on the last night. When they came back they woke up to find that their hotel room was robbed, while they were sleeping.

Talk about traumatic

https://www.rte.ie/radio/utils/radioplayer/rteradioweb.html#!rii=b9_21491572_53_11-01-2019_

https://www.irishtimes.com/news/ireland/irish-news/irish-couple-robbed-twice-during-nightmare-holiday-in-portugal-1.3755148

Cee-Jay-Cee · 12-01-2019 12:58PM

Ah those Roma, they’re wee scallywags!

Woke Hogan · 12-01-2019 01:02PM

It was unpleasant for them personally but it's totally unremarkable as a story.

retalivity · 12-01-2019 01:04PM

Think the point of the call was that the insurance company refused to assist them.

12-01-2019 01:05PM

Woke Hogan wrote: »

It was unpleasant for them personally but it's totally unremarkable as a story.

A delayed flight is unpleasant. This seems slightly more traumatic

MaryBrosnan · 12-01-2019 01:09PM

What was carrying them there. They should have gone to Galway or Kerry for their holiday.

pablo128 · 12-01-2019 01:13PM

MaryBrosnan wrote: »

What was carrying them there. They should have gone to Galway or Kerry for their holiday.

Yeah and freeze to death. And instead of being robbed by Roma you get robbed by hoteliers and publicans in Ireland.

I have been on 'the strip' in Albufeira a few times. It doesn't strike you as the kind of place you would get kidnapped from, which makes this case a bit more unusual.

TCM · 12-01-2019 01:14PM

A very strange story!!!

Woke Hogan · 12-01-2019 01:16PM

Deleted User wrote: »

A delayed flight is unpleasant. This seems slightly more traumatic

Traumatic for them, then.

up for anything · 12-01-2019 02:00PM

Woke Hogan wrote: »

It was unpleasant for them personally but it's totally unremarkable as a story.

Unremarkable as a story that a couple would be kidnapped from a busy holiday resort? I find it shocking.

They were very 'lucky' to get away so lightly. If they'd been in South Africa they wouldn't have made it back alive.

questionmark? · 12-01-2019 02:03PM

Woke Hogan wrote: »

It was unpleasant for them personally but it's totally unremarkable as a story.

Irish couple kidnapped at gunpoint in well known and generally safe tourist area of an EU country, gun pointed at male whilst female threatened with been sold to the sex slave industry. Ya just a normal story and day huh!!

Greybottle · 12-01-2019 02:36PM

Cee-Jay-Cee wrote: »

Ah those Roma, they’re wee scallywags!

To be fair they make decent pasta for the price they charge.

Obvious Desperate Breakfasts · 12-01-2019 02:47PM

questionmark? wrote: »

Irish couple kidnapped at gunpoint in well known and generally safe tourist area of an EU country, gun pointed at male whilst female threatened with been sold to the sex slave industry. Ya just a normal story and day huh!!

Well, freak crimes can happen anywhere. Jastine Valdez in our own country in broad daylight last year.

4068ac1elhodqr · 12-01-2019 02:55PM

It's very strange as Portugal (esp Algarve) has always been seen as one of the safest countries/areas in Europe.
Not only robbed, but they had their hotel room ransacked also.

nim1bdeh38l2cw · 12-01-2019 03:27PM

All seems unbelievable

The Tetrarch · 12-01-2019 03:51PM

Michael Substantial Stabilizer wrote: »

All seems unbelievable

"credit and debit cards stolen as well as at least one mobile phone." :rolleyes:
You would know how many mobile phones were stolen.

Strazdas · 12-01-2019 04:37PM

Going by social media, virtually nobody seems to believe their story and think it's Walter Mitty attention grabbing stuff.

scamalert · 12-01-2019 05:57PM

Strazdas wrote: »

Going by social media, virtually nobody seems to believe their story and think it's Walter Mitty attention grabbing stuff.

Well seems they were taken one way or another and most likely by roma who do no justice when it comes to these towns to ruin reputation, only thing noticed that in entire town you'd rarely see any cops pass by, say if comparing to Spain's tourist places, at all during summer there, but that said its no different from any other tourist place elsewhere, as far as safety goes if you keep to yourself and dont draw attention its hassle free.

Strip is prob smallest one ive seen as its no more then 5 minutes to walk past and really crap, for any entertainment unless you want to lose hearing.

Murt10 · 12-01-2019 05:59PM

Strazdas wrote: »

Going by social media, virtually nobody seems to believe their story and think it's Walter Mitty attention grabbing stuff.

Normally I would be very cynical of the story it sounds so far fetched, but the fact that the Talk to Joe team actually spoke to the Portuguese police lends credence to their kidnapping story.

Benny Biscotti · 12-01-2019 06:00PM

Having the room robbed on top of it too. Definitely into go fund me territory there.

pablo128 · 12-01-2019 06:06PM

scamalert wrote: »

Well seems they were taken one way or another and most likely by roma who do no justice when it comes to these towns to ruin reputation, only thing noticed that in entire town you'd rarely see any cops pass by, say if comparing to Spain's tourist places, at all during summer there, but that said its no different from any other tourist place elsewhere, as far as safety goes if you keep to yourself and dont draw attention its hassle free.

Strip is prob smallest one ive seen as its no more then 5 minutes to walk past and really crap, for any entertainment unless you want to lose hearing.

Any time I was there, I saw several well armed cops that you wouldn't look crooked at.

Granted it was summer time though.

Wheres Me Jumper? · 12-01-2019 07:09PM

Strazdas wrote: »

Going by social media, virtually nobody seems to believe their story and think it's Walter Mitty attention grabbing stuff.

no i disagree entirely.
Portugal is a fairly safe spot on the whole, but Albufeira does have a problem with this type of carry-on. Immediately after this guy another Irish guy was on Joe. He had been koshed over the head and robbed. The police who "discovered" him said he was lucky to be alive.

I know of several people who were robbed at gun-point there. In the case of one British couple the husband was shot and the bullet lodged just mms from his spinal column.

The perpetrators used to be Brazilian gangs, but from what I can make out the local Roma gangs are getting in on the act of late. Of course the Portuguese authorities are quick to play it down, as it's bad for business, but they are "fully aware" of the problems.

Personally i would continue to visit Portugal, but i would be extremely wary of Albufeira.

VinLieger · 12-01-2019 07:15PM

The hotel room being robbed on their last and only night they went out again is where this story jumps the shark

Wheres Me Jumper? · 12-01-2019 07:19PM

VinLieger wrote: »

The hotel room being robbed on their last and only night they went out again is where this story jumps the shark

well from what i could make out, they felt they were being followed and watched.
if that was the case, then it would not be so unbelievable imo.

Uncharted · 12-01-2019 07:20PM

#gofundMETOO

harr · 12-01-2019 07:25PM

As mentioned going by various posts on news sites ... people who know this couple personally have claimed its more than likely fabricated or majority of it made up... the Irish mirror have the story on Facebook and the comments under the story make interesting reading...

Spannerplank · 12-01-2019 08:22PM

questionmark? wrote: »

Irish couple kidnapped at gunpoint in well known and generally safe tourist area of an EU country, gun pointed at male whilst female threatened with been sold to the sex slave industry. Ya just a normal story and day huh!!

Give it a rest. Irishman (from safe eu country) attending a football match in another safe eu country assaulted by two guys from another safe eu country and left in a coma.

Sold I to sex slavery. The me a break

questionmark? · 12-01-2019 08:29PM

Spannerplank wrote: »

Give it a rest. Irishman (from safe eu country) attending a football match in another safe eu country assaulted by two guys from another safe eu country and left in a coma.

Sold I to sex slavery. The me a break

That was a nice ranty post from you wasnt it!
I was responding to a poster who said it was an unremarkable story. I presume you are referring to Sean Cox, if so are saying that what happended there was also unremarkable!?

Atlantic Dawn · 13-01-2019 12:38PM

Emergency flights home wanted yet he says later he had 3 bank cards stolen from the hotel on the last night after the initial card was stolen in the kidnapping, could he not have just bought his own flights home and then made a claim later if he was feeling so under threat? Most people I know with 4 bank cards would be able to fund flights home on them. He also mentions initially that €300 in cash was taken and €200 from the bank card from the initial theft by gypsies. Later he says a total of €1200 is gone in total after the room robbery so that would mean they had €700 left from the initial incident, plenty to fund home 'emergency flights'. Looking on Ryanair today, there's no Faro flight back to Dublin that is more than €55 from tomorrow until Saturday. Has he never heard of using the safe in a hotel room?

Whole tale sounded to me like a couple who went away, blew all their budget and wanted their parking in Dublin Airport covered.

pablo128 · 13-01-2019 01:02PM

Atlantic Dawn wrote: »

Emergency flights home wanted yet he says later he had 3 bank cards stolen from the hotel on the last night after the initial card was stolen in the kidnapping, could he not have just bought his own flights home and then made a claim later if he was feeling so under threat? Most people I know with 4 bank cards would be able to fund flights home on them. He also mentions initially that €300 in cash was taken and €200 from the bank card from the initial theft by gypsies. Later he says a total of €1200 is gone in total after the room robbery so that would mean they had €700 left from the initial incident, plenty to fund home 'emergency flights'. Looking on Ryanair today, there's no Faro flight back to Dublin that is more than €55 from tomorrow until Saturday. Has he never heard of using the safe in a hotel room?

Whole tale sounded to me like a couple who went away, blew all their budget and wanted their parking in Dublin Airport covered.

If I was a cynic I'd say they were trying to turn over the insurance company.

McMurphy · 13-01-2019 01:47PM

Of all the make believe stories on the web, this one didn't happen most of all.

Irish couple in Albuferia kidnapped at gunpoint and robbed

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