 Steve O'Connor and his wife were tied up in the robbery |
The owner of Widnes Vikings rugby league club has been held hostage in a robbery on his Cheshire home. Steve O'Connor, who is also a director at Eddie Stobart, his wife and four-year-old son were threatened by four masked man at their Frodsham home. The gang stole about £30,000 in cash and jewellery, including wedding rings. Police have not ruled out a link with last week's robbery at the Lancashire home of Tony and Doreen Lofthouse, who own the Fisherman's Friend empire. The elderly couple were locked in a bathroom and robbed of £100,000 of jewellery when their Blackpool home was targeted last Friday. On Tuesday, a gang broke down the solid oak door to the O'Connor's home.  |  They thought they tied me to a post but actually they tied me to myself and after they were gone I was able to call the police |
Mr O'Connor, 43, was bound with zip ties while his wife Clare, 35, was pinned to the kitchen floor and also tied up. When the gang saw pictures of their son Stevie hanging on the walls, they went upstairs to get him. Mr O'Connor said: "The first thing they did when they saw pictures of my family on the wall was to run to the bedroom to get him up. "It was sickening really. "He is all right. He will be fine - we hope he will. "My wife pretended it was a Power Rangers game but he knows he does not want those people in the house again. "Clare is a nurse and she deals with horrific situations on a daily basis, so she found a calmness which was incredible. "She refused to let them tie her up until she had our son in her arms. "They thought they tied me to a post but actually they tied me to myself and after they were gone I was able to call the police." Mr O'Connor owned O'Connor haulage group which he sold to Eddie Stobart in 2007, where he remains a director. Cheshire Police confirmed officers will speak to Lancashire Police investigating the Lofthouse robbery.
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