This article is from page 3 of the 2011-12-20 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 3 JPG
A MAN and a woman bravely fought of a hatchet-wielding raider who broke into a business on the Kilrush Road in Ennis last week.
The incident occurred between 6pm and 6.15pm at Coote’s Shop last Thursday (December 15) when two men wearing balaclavas entered the premises. One of the men was brandishing a hatchet and the other was carrying a blue bag.
A woman working behind the counter was threatened and told to hand over money from the till.
The woman used a sweeping brush to fight off the intruders who caused damage to a number of items in the shop including the cash register and credit card payment machine.
An elderly shop employee, who was in the rear of the premises, came to the assistance of the woman and together they managed to force the intruders from the shop empty handed. The woman did suffer bruising to her arm during the incident.
A Garda spokesman explained, “The commotion was heard by an employee in the back and he entered the shop to see what was happening. The raiders were very aggressive and assaulted both employees who were injured as a result.”
He continued, “The man with the hatchet kept banging it off the counter and damaged the till and some charity boxes. The culprits fled empty handed running out the backdoor towards Eire Óg hurling pitch”.
Gardaí have released a picture of blue bag left by the raiders at the scene. They are appealing with anybody who might recognise the item or have information about the break in to contact Ennis Garda Station at 065 6848183.
Gardaí are also investigating a robbery that took place at Lakeview Stores in Ballyalla on Friday (December 16).
At around 9.35pm three men entered the premises. One man was carrying a knife. They knocked the owner to the ground while two of them stole the till and then fled on foot out the door. The owner was not injured. The raiders are described as follows (1) Wearing a balaclava, 5’ 8”, strong build, carrying a knife; (2) Tall slim build, late teens; (3) Very small, around 14 years-old. Slim build, wearing a blue jacket.
A car was parked about 200 yards away facing out at the housing estate of Radharc na Lacha with the inside light on. Gardaí believe the raiders left the scene in this car.