ELDERLY MAN ROBBED BY THUGS IN HIS RURAL HOME

Thugs forced their way into a 92-year-old’s home

TWO callous thugs posing as ESB workers forced their way into the home of a 92-yearold man in a remote part of Knocknagoshel before stealing hundreds of euros from him.

The latest attack on a defenceless elderly person in rural Kerry has sent shockwaves through a community that is already living in fear of roaming gangs of thieves.

The 92-year-old was particularly vulnerable, living some distance from his nearest neighbour.

He answered a call to his door to find two men outside claiming to be there on business with the ESB.

When he tried to close the door on them, they barged in past him and ripped his phone from the wall before one of them carried out a room-to-room search for valuables. They fled in a blue car with hundreds of euros, leaving the shocked man reeling from the terrifying experience.

Even more alarmingly, it was the second such incident at his home in recent years. A gang of roving thieves previously robbed oil from his home-heating tank.

Neighbours have rallied to his side and gardaí in the region are now tracking his assailants. They warn people to demand identification from callers and to alert them immediately to such encounters.

THUGS posing as ESB workers forced their way into the home of a 92-year-old man living alone in remote hillside, before ripping his phone out of the wall, checking his house room-by-room and stealing hundreds of euros from him.

The horrendous attack has shocked the community of Knocknagoshel, only coming to light this week when the matter was reported to gardaí.

The elderly man, who lives alone in a remote part of the rural community, answered a call to his door to find men posing as ESB workers. The Kerryman understands that when he tried to shut the door on them they simply forced their way into his home and ripped the phone out of the wall to prevent him calling for help.

The two callous raiders then went on to check his house, room-by-room, for valuable items, stealing several hundred euros they found before making their cowardly escape in a blue car.

Elderly people living on their own in similar circumstance across Knocknagoshel and Lyreacrompane have been left terrified by news of the encounter. Thankfully, the man is now recovering from his ordeal but still suffering from shock.

The Kerryman understands it was the second such incident at his property in recent years. Oil was stolen from his fuel tank by raiders in the previous incident.

Gardaí in the area are treating the matter very seriously and have appealed to people not to let anyone posing as workers into their homes and to report any such encounters immediately.

“We’re appealing for information from anyone who might have noticed any suspicious behaviour in the Knocknagoshel/Lyreacrompane area a fortnight ago, in particular for information on a blue car we believed was used by two males involved,” a spokesperson for the gardaí in Listowel said.

“If someone comes to your door purporting to work with the ESB, council or any other agency demand identification and if they can’t produce it close your door immediately and phone us,” they added.

Lyreacrompane Community Alert member Joe Harrington has also appealed to people in the rural region to check-in regularly on elderly neighbours living alone in the light of the latest attack.

Gardaí in Listowel are meanwhile investigating a number of burglaries that occurred in the town in the past week.

Three houses in the town were broken into during the week - one in Market Street, one in Courthouse Road and the other in the Lartigue Village estate. A man and a woman have been arrested and charged in connection with one.