Gardai are treating a petrol bomb assault at Ennis Court House as an attack on the county’s centre of justice and on one of its most iconic historical buildings. Scenes of crime gardaí have just concluded a forensic examination at the court house after a petrol bomb was thrown through a window of the Family Law Court room shortly before 4am on Thursday morning. The culprit targeted a ground floor window of court room number 3 to the rear of the court house, which is where family law matters are typically dealt with in Ennis. Detective Inspector John Galvin is leading the investigation and said the petrol bomb was made using “some kind of glass device with accelerant in it and material”. “Someone knew how to put it [the petrol bomb] together alright. It was someone who wanted to cause damage, how much they intended to do is hard to say, had it gone in the wrong direction it could …
Read More »€500,000 worth of drugs seized in South East Clare
Gardaí have seized almost half a million euro worth of drugs following two searches carried out in Meelick and O’Briensbridge on Tuesday night. The controlled substance has yet to be analysed but is believed to be heroin. The seizure was made by garda in Limerick and Clare arising from an ongoing operation into the sale and supply of controlled substances in the Limerick Division and in neighbouring counties. One man has been arrested and is currently being detained at Roxboro Road Garda Station in Limerick under drug trafficking legislation. He can be held for questioning without charge for up to a week.
Read More »Businesses beware after Ennis Shop targeted by scam artist
Clare Gardaí are advising business owners in the county to beware following reports of a deception scam in Ennis. Gardaí in Ennis have been alerted to at least one instance of a scam where a male has posed as a delivery man and has been paid in cash for a low value product. The incident reported involved a well dressed male calling to a shop in Ennis with bulk boxes of matches. He informed the shop assistant that their boss ordered the items and that he was to be paid cash on delivery. He then gave over an order docket with a description of the product but it contained no contact details. He then asked to be paid an amount which was more than the product was worth. He left after receiving the cash and the sales assistant later discovered the manager never ordered the product. Clare’s crime prevention officer, Sergeant Joe Downey has asked businesses to be vigilant for …
Read More »Gardai investigate spate of break-ins
GARDAI are urging people to minimise the degree of opportunity for criminals following a spate of break-ins around the county during the past week. Last Friday, between 10am and 2pm, two houses in Madden’s Terrace in Clarecastle were broken into. One house was ransacked in an effort to obtain property and some items of jewellery were stolen from the other house. Thieves made off with a Phillips flatscreen TV following a break-in to a house on Golf Links Road in Ennis while in Moveen Park, Kilkee a mobile home was broken into when the front door was forced open. A brown leather purse containing bank cards and a sum of money was stolen. Gardai are also investigating thefts in Broadford. Aluminium piping was stolen from a yards in Ballyquin while, on a different date, three car batteries were also stolen from a yard in Ballyquin. Clare Crime Prevention Officer, Sergeant Joe Downey said that a van or a pick up …
Read More »Human Remains Found on Mutton Island
LOCALS have discovered what appear to be human remains in a shallow grave on Mutton Island off the coast of Quilty this week. The remains, which are believed to be historical in nature, were found on the Eastern side of the Island earlier this week. The skull and bones were discovered under approximately a foot of soil and it is believed that the remains may date back to famine times. Gardaí were transported by members of the Doolin and Kilkee Coast Guard to investigate on Wednesday. Further gardaí are expected to travel to the island at 2pm today, Friday, to examine the remains.
Read More »Smash and Grab at Ennis Electrical
It is estimated that more than €15,000 worth of electrical equipment was stolen in a smash and grab burglary of Ennis Electrical in Parnell Street, Ennis overnight. Gardaí received a report at 3.12am on Wednesday morning that three males had broken into the electrical goods store having used a sledge hammer to break the door. It is understood that a quantity of electrical goods, including flat screen televisions, ipods, tablets and laptops were stolen in the incident with a value approximately €15,000, although the full cost will not be known until a full stock take is carried out. Gardaí say there are similarities between this incident and that of a burglary which occurred at Cassidy’s Pharmacy in Ennis last month. A silver Daewoo car, which was found out burnt out in Quin, is believed to have been used in the burglary and gardai are appealing to anyone who may have seen it, or any unusual activity in the Parnell Street …
Read More »Robbery at Xtra Vision in Ennis
Gardaí in Ennis are still carrying out enquiries following the robbery of the Xtra Vision store in the Market early Monday morning, which was held up by a man brandishing what is believed to be a hammer. The incident occurred at approximately 7.30am, when the store was being opened by a member of staff. It is understood that the male employee was approached by a lone male, who was brandishing a weapon, after the alarm of the shop was de-activated. This person then made demands for cash from the employee. The suspect is understood to have had a hoodie covering his head, shielding his identity. The employee was not injured in the incident, which lasted a matter of minutes and the culprit fled the scene having stolen a quantity of cash. It is not yet clear in what direction he travelled. Gardai are currently gathering and viewing CCTV from the property and other businesses in the town. A description of …
Read More »70 ‘Drunk Driving’ Arrests in Clare this Year
Eleven people were arrested on suspicion of drunk-driving in County Clare over the June Bank Holiday weekend, bringing the total number of people to have been arrested on suspicion of drunk-driving in Clare since January to 70 people. Speaking about the level of drunk-driving in the county, Clare’s Chief Superintendent, John Kerin said the 11 arrests over the June Bank Holiday weekend represent an increase of 17%, or 10 arrests, for the crime on last year. “One might say 10 isn’t an awful lot but there are still 70 people now arrested in Clare in the first five months for drunken driving. It was 60 this time last year and 11 people driving over the legal limit in a week in a county like Clare is significant and it’s worrying,” he said. He added that what made the figure all the more stark was that some of those people detected were caught at various times of the day. “One person …
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