Vicious burglars tied belt noose around man’s neck

A TERRIFIED farmer had a belt fastened around his neck into a noose, was threatened with a gun and knife, and dragged around his home in the country’s latest shocking rural burglary.

The man, in his late 40s, only managed to escape his rural farmhouse in Co. Meath when his ringing mobile phone distracted his attackers and he fled through fields.

In an interview with the Irish Daily Mail, Sergeant Ronan Farrelly said gardaí were awaiting results of ‘pinging’ of the victim’s mobile phone – which was taken by the burglars – in the hope it might help catch them.

It is understood that gardaí in Meath are liaising with the national burglary unit to try to identify the two balaclava-wearing raiders, one of whom spoke with an English accent and the other with a Dublin accent.

Sgt Farrelly, based in Navan, told the Mail: ‘The victim went out to get some firewood on [Wednesday] January 17 when these two men approached him. It was a particularly shocking robbery. They put a belt around his neck and dragged him from room to room.’

The sergeant added that the victim did not have cash or valuables in the house. ‘These two men believed that he did. But he did not. They threatened him with the gun and knife. He was left with some cuts and bruises to his face. It went on for 50 minutes. It was a terrifying ordeal,’ he said.

The brave householder saw his chance to escape the violent criminals when his mobile phone rang. ‘His phone began to ring and the two men were distracted by this and turned around. He made a run for it through fields to a neighbour’s house and raised the alarm,’ said the sergeant.

The householder, a single man who lives alone, did not see what car the two men were travelling in. The break-in happened at a farmhouse in Clonycavan, Co. Meath, at around 7pm on January 17. Gardaí are appealing for anyone with any information about the incident to contact them.

Sgt Farrelly said the rural area of Co. Meath has been affected by break-ins like many parts of Ireland. A lot of the gangs targeting the county are travelling from nearby Dublin, he added.

Sgt Farrelly said that the incident ‘was a particularly bad case’.

‘They were very violent and demanding money,’ he said. ‘In the end, all they got was the small amount of cash from his wallet and his mobile phone.’

Sgt Farrelly continued: ‘The robbery happened on the same day as the protest for the Scientology Centre in Ballivor, which is the nearest village to where this happened and is very close by.

‘So a lot of people were in the area and might have seen something suspicious.’

The sergeant added that gardaí had downloaded CCTV footage from the wider area in the hope of trying to identify any suspicious vehicles the raiders could have used. Investigating gardaí are also awaiting phone technology tracking and ‘pinging’ results from the victim’s Samsung phone to establish its whereabouts.

The first suspect has been described as being between 5ft 11in and 6ft in height, of stocky build, with an English accent and wearing a dark coat and black trousers.

The second man is somewhat smaller, with a height of around 5ft 7in to 5ft 8in, of slim build, with a Dublin accent and wearing a dark coat.

Anyone who was in the Clonycavan-Ballivor area of Co. Meath on the evening of January 17 and saw anything unusual or a vehicle driving erratically has been urged to contact Ballivor Garda Station on 046 9546002, Trim Garda Station on 046 9481547, or the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111.

‘Dragged from room to room’