Holiday burglary strands councillor

Holiday burglary strands councillor

21 September 2016

NORTHERN Ireland’s longest serving district councillor has been recalling how he and his wife were recently left stranded in Venice after burglars targeted the holiday apartment where they were staying.

Dermot Curran and his wife Karen were in bed when the burglar struck, stealing a bag containing their passport, credit cards and flight tickets. The incident happened the night before the couple were due to fly home on September 10, with the Ardglass politician describing what happened as “horrifying.”

The couple immediately raised the alarm and the burglary was reported to hotel staff, while a subsequent search of the area around their apartment in the hope the burglar may have discarded their documents and fled with just money proved fruitless.

The following morning, their tour operator advised them to contact police who provided them with a letter confirming their apartment had been burgled and that they had no documentation. Dermot and Karen headed to the airport and were hopeful of boarding their flight to Belfast. While initially informed by airport staff that they could fly, they were then told they would not be permitted to enter Northern Ireland as they had no passports to confirm their identity.

“It was at this point panic set in,” recalled Dermot. “We were in a foreign country with no passports, no credit cards, no money and no way of getting home. The whole thing was quite surreal and while people were trying to help it was clear we would not be flying to Belfast. When our cases were taken off the plane we knew we were in trouble.

“I may be a well known councillor but without my passport I could have been anyone. The entire episode was very fraught and Karen and I had no idea how we were going to leave. I can understand the reluctance of the authorities not to let people into Northern Ireland with no identification, but a few quick calls could have verified who I was. They need to be more sympathetic when people find themselves in such a situation.”

The Ardglass couple, who travel on Irish passports, contacted the Irish Embassy in Rome and while told temporary passports could be issued within a matter of days, after a two-week break they just wanted home.

“We turned to South Down MP Margaret Ritchie for help and she got in touch with the Department of Foreign Affairs in Dublin. After a series of telephone calls we eventually got the green light to book a flight to Dublin which we were able to do with the assistance of Downe Travel in Downpatrick. We can’t thank the firm enough,” said Dermot.

The Ardglass councillor, who has thanked tour operator Top Flight for its assistance, said he has gone public with his story to encourage other people to keep their passports, credit cards and money safe while on holiday. He also hopes measures can be implemented to ensure if someone else has the misfortune to lose their travel documents, they would be able to get home.

Dermot added: “It is not until you end up in a situation like Karen and I did that you realise how vulnerable you are without any documentation to inform the authorities who you are. Everyone in Venice did their best to get us home and we are so grateful to Margaret and the Department of Foreign Affairs for everything they did. UK immigration officials need to be more sympathetic.

Confirming she plans to contact the UK Border Agency, Miss Ritchie said it is important procedures are clarified.

“This incident resulted in a lot of trauma and stress for Dermot and Karen. They found themselves stranded at the airport and with no documents or money had no idea how they were going to get home. I am grateful for the help and support provided by the Department of Foreign Affairs in Dublin and Aer Lingus,” she continued.