Gardaí follow ‘a number of leads’ in pensioners attack investigation

Date Published: 13-Jun-2012

By Declan Tierney

Investigating Gardaí are following a number of lines of inquiry into the horrific attack on two elderly pensioners in Williamstown – one of whom has been admitted to hospital early this week with a suspected stroke.

It was a nightmare experience for the two elderly farmers who were confronted by at least two individuals on Thursday night, one of whom had a gun, and then tied up with cable ties for several hours before they eventually freed themselves.

Their ordeal began when one of the brothers went out the back of the house to see if the rain had cleared. It had been raining very heavily throughout the whole of last Thursday.

He was confronted by a man who asked if he had sold cattle lately and then the house was rushed by two men wearing balaclavas who then threatened the occupants.

The house at Ballyroe was occupied by Michael Kelly and his older brother Owen, both of whom are in their 80s; they were both tied up and harassed by the intruders. They did not suffer serious injuries at the time of the incident but were very frightened by what had happened.

The intruders remained in the house for more than three hours while the pensioners remained tied up. They ransacked the house but only found a relatively small amount of money.

While the criminals left at around 2.30am, it was almost four hours later before one of the brothers managed to free himself and raise the alarm.

The community expressed concern earlier this week when it was learned that Michael Kelly was admitted to hospital on Monday evening suffering from a suspected stroke.

A Garda spokesman told The Connacht Tribune that intense investigations had been conducted in the aftermath of the crime and they were now following “a number of lines of inquiry”. Some progress has been made in the investigation.

The Gardaí are still seeking help from the public and particularly in relation to any suspicious activity seen in the area during the course of last Thursday.

“We also want to talk to residents in the wider area of Williamstown who encountered people acting suspiciously over the past three weeks as this could be crucial to the investigation.

“It is also important that people who received callers to their house over the past three weeks or so to report these incidents to the Gardaí,” the spokesman added.

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