READING "CRIME STORIES"

Hi my friends, the name of this story is "Shergar" and we are going to know about a horse.  It is a true story.

"SHERGAR"
People have been asking a lot of questions about Shergar.  It was a racehorse which became famous in 1981 after winning the Derby of that year.  But two years later ( in 1983) Shergar was kidnapped.
What happened to him?
Why was he taken?
Who were the kidnappers?

People have said some possible answers to those questions, but the kidnapping is still a mystery!

James Fitzgerald was the man whose job was to look after Shergar.  On Tuesday February 8th, 1983, at about 8.45 p.m. two men with guns and their faces covered by balaclavas, entered Fitzgerald's house which was at the Ballymany horse farm, near Newbridge in Ireland.  Mr Fitzgerald's wife, son and daughter were locked in a downstairs room.  Then, these men ordered Fitzgerald to take them to Shergar's stable and to open the stable door.    At the same time other members of the gang were driving a car and horse-box to the stable.

After opening the stable door, Fitzgerald was ordered to put the 10 million pound racehorse into the horse-box.  Shergar was a quiet and well-behaved horse so he did not kick or try to pull away. Fitzgerald was pushed into a van with some more of the kidnappers and told to lie down with his face on the floor.

The gang drove 40 kilometres away from the farm and then they let Fitzgerald go.  They told him not to contact the police.

"We want two million pounds for the horse", they said.

Fitzgerald phoned his boss when he got home and the police were informed about the kidnapping the next morning.
Fitzgerald was questioned but he couldn't told the police many things about the kidnappers because they all worn balaclavas and he couldn't see any of them.

Very soon, radio, television and newspaper reporters had the news, and everyone learnt that one of the most famous racehorses in the world  had been kidnapped.

The police waited for ...

(To be continued) 

VOCABULARY
-RACEHORSE:  caballo de carreras.
-TO KIDNAP:  secuestrar
-KIDNAPPERS:  secuestradores.
-STILL:  todavía.
-BALACLAVAS:  pasamontañas
-GUNS: pistolas
-FARM: granja
-SON: hijo
-DAUGHTER: hija
-WIFE: esposa
-GANG: banda
-QUIET: tranquilo.
-WELL-BEHAVED: que se portaba bien.
-TO KICK: dar patadas.
-TO PULL AWAY: tirar
-TO PUSH:  empujar.
-A VAN:  una furgoneta.
-TO LIE DOWN:  tumbarse.