Farmer faced threats to knife him as he attempted to stop robbery
GARDAÍ are following a definite line of enquiry in relation to a violent burglary in which a farmer was threatened with knives and slash-hooks by a three-man gang.
The terrifying incident unfolded at lunchtime on Monday at the 45-year-old farmer’s home in Ballyboughal, north Co Dublin.
It is understood the farmer had returned to his property when he noticed the thugs had broken into his garage.
He attempted to block the gang in with his car to prevent them from leaving but they rammed his vehicle before escaping from the farm.
It is understood they threatened to slit the farmer’s throat before they escaped from the scene.
A number of power tools were stolen by the criminals who escaped in a silver car.
The incident was reported to Swords gardaí who have launched a major investigation but have not yet made any arrests.
However sources say that they are investigating if a Traveller crime gang are involved in the crime and arrests in the case are “very likely”.
The burglary happened just days after the separate theft of tools and equipment from an Offaly County Council yard and a Bord na Móna property.
Generators, strimmers, chainsaws and other power tools were taken in two separate thefts in Co Offaly sometime between Wednesday night and Thursday morning of last week.
Gardaí said thieves broke into an Offaly County Council yard at Gallen in Ferbane and stole thousands of euro worth of equipment.
According to figures released last November, construction crime increased 35pc over the past year, from about 3,400 to 4,500 incidents, or roughly 13 a day.
The value of tools and equip- ment stolen from building sites and tradespeople’s vehicles topped €7.7m in the 12 months to last October.
Of that, equipment worth €3.6m was stolen from vehicles.
Many of the tools that are stolen in the nationwide burglary epidemic are sold at markets across the country.
Last month in a major operation against one of the country’s deadliest gangs who are linked to three murders, the Criminal Assets Bureau (CAB) seized power tools as well as cash, two stolen caravans, a Mercedes Benz car as well as a large selection of strimmers and lawn mowers.
Meanwhile in a completely
separate incident, gardaí in west Dublin are investigating after a man who confronted two youths who were standing beside his sports car had a gun pointed at him.
The man was in his house in Saggart on Tuesday evening when he spotted two youths at his car outside.
When he confronted them, one of them apparently asked if he could sit in it.
Local sources said the car was a Lamborghini (similar to the one below).
The owner refused and then one of the youths is said to have pulled a gun out of his pocket and pointed it at the car owner and threatened to take the vehicle.
The youths then walked away when the owner refused to cooperate with them.
The matter was reported to gardaí. No arrests have been made in that case.
According to the latest figures from the Central Statistics Office burglary offences increased by 3pc last year. Meanwhile, theft and other related offences also increased by 8pc.