Masked raiders steal €5,000 trailer from Bunclody compound
GARDAí are on the hunt for masked thieves who broke into a compound in Bunclody on Sunday afternoon, making off with a brand new trailer worth in the region of €5,000. Byrne’s Trailers at Ryland Business Park was the target of the masked men and owner Ivan Byrne believes that they are a professional gang from the Dublin area.
In CCTV footage captured from the compound, you can see an 06 Hyundai Trajet pull up outside the compound at 3.08 p.m. before the first man climbs in over the gates. Having done this, Ivan says they used specialised equipment to break the lock on the trailer, before managing to open the gate and drive away with the brand new Murphy 10x519” cattle trailer.
‘I think they knew what they were looking for alright,’ Ivan said. ‘A trailer like that is worth in the region of €5,000. They seemed to target it. It seems like a theft to order type job. They were in and out in less than four minutes.’
Gardaí have confirmed that an investigation is ongoing into the matter and have appealed for any witnesses or anyone who may have been offered a similar trailer for sale to contact them at Bunclody Garda Station on 0539377102.
Meanwhile, Ivan says that gardaí have managed to trace the registration plate of the car to an address in Ballyfermot, Dublin, and there were also three separate sightings of the vehicle and trailer heading north on the N11 at Tombrack, Clogh and near Jack White’s. This leads him to believe that the theft may have been carried out by a Dublin gang.
This latest theft comes just over three weeks after a selection of tools carrying a value in excess of €2,000 were stolen from Pat Skelton’s Car Breakers in Bunclody. Ivan Byrne says that it’s a worrying trend and that crimes like this seem to have stepped up in the build-up to Christmas.