Appeal made after €15,000 generator stolen from yard
A well known local business has made an appeal to the public for information after an industrial generator worth €15,000 was stolen from its yard in broad daylight.
The incident occurred at the yard of John Byrne Concrete Cutting in Craanford at around 5.20 p.m. on Wednesday, February 6.
Speaking to this newspaper Elaine Byrne, who is a director with the company, said CCTV footage showed a vehicle entering the yard at 5.18 p.m. and leaving at 5.20 p.m. having hooked up the generator to the back of the car - a silver coloured Opel Zafira model.
‘They drove in through our electric gates when one of our vans dropped the same generator off at 5.12 p.m.,’ Elaine told this newspaper.
‘Our van left the yard at 5.15 p.m. and then on the footage you can see the silver car coming in at 5.18 p.m., hooking up to the generator trailer, and leaving at 5.20 p.m.,’ she said.
The theft was completed in a little over a minute-and-a-half.
The generator that was taken is a SDMO J44IV model with the chassis No: 18005219.
‘It’s only eight months old and is worth €15,000,’ said Elaine.
‘It’s the same as someone coming in and stealing your car,’ she added.
While the company name isn’t on the generator it does have SDMO and DE Power written on the side of it and it’s Royal blue in colour.
‘There was a distinctive dent in the back of the Zafira car too so,’ said Elaine.
She acknowledged the level of support that she and her husband, John, have received from the general public and from those within the building sector since the incident occurred.
‘People contacted us to say it’s happened to them as well and everyone has been very supportive,’ she said.
‘It’s not just an ordinary generator,’ she added.
‘It’s very distinctive and it’s also very valuable to us.’
There were other pieces of machinery in the yard at the time but the thieves seemed to specifically target the generator.
‘You would need to have a specific need for it,’ said Elaine.
‘It’s a special industrial one they took,’ she added.
There are two family pet dogs on the premises and in the footage, which has been seen by this newspaper, at one point the intruders can be seen petting the dogs before making their getaway.
‘It’s the value of this that is sickening,’ said Elaine.
‘It’s crimes like this that are destroying people’s livelihoods,’ she added.
The matter is being investigated by Gorey Gardai and anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact the station, in confidence, on 053-9430690.