This article is from page 22 of the 2010-02-23 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 22 JPG
ADDITIONAL Garda resources re- main in place in Shannon, as an in- vestigation continues into a spate of serious crime in the area in recent weeks.
Six people arrested in connection with criminal activity in the Shan- non area have been released without charge.
A file will be sent to the DPP’s office and a decision will then be taken on whether charges are to be
brought.
The arrests were made at various stages over the past fortnight, after a family was held hostage at Ardkyle, Sixmuilebridge, on January 7. A 50- year-old woman was at home with two of her sons at around 11pm that night when a lone gunman arrived at the house. The man was wearing a balaclava and was armed with a sawn-off shotgun.
The woman’s 14-year-old son was threatened, while her nine-year-old son was asleep in a bedroom at the
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The raider left the home after a short period, with two mobile phones and a laptop.
There has been an escalation of se- rious crime in Shannon town in re- cent weeks as six business premises have been robbed at knifepoint since St Stephen’s Day.
A major garda investigation has been launched, leading to the deploy- ment of additional garda resources to SJ erVeveOyee
The latest incident occurred last
Saturday night week, when a man, dressed in black and with his face covered, went into the Excel shop in Drumgeely, and demanded money. He brandished a knife and threat- ened female staff. He got his hands on between €200 and €300 before fleeing on foot shortly after 9pm.
A 24-year-old man was arrested a few hours after the incident. He was later released without charge.
The previous Tuesday, Collins’ shop in Aidan Park was targeted by a man armed with a knife, at around 9pm.
The man, who wore a white scarf over his face, demanded money from the shop assistants, before making off with a few hundred euro in cash. He fled the scene on foot.
The other premises targeted in re- cent weeks were Mace in Ballycasey; Londis in Drumgeely; Londis in Bru na Sionna and the Crossroads off- licence in Drumgeely. In each inci- dent, just small amounts of cash were taken, but staff were deeply trauma- tised by the ordeals they were forced to go through.