Neighbour assaulted after confronting oil thief

Gardaí have advised the public against trying to intervene directly where they see a robbery in progress after a man in the North-East Galway area was assaulted when he disturbed a would-be oil thief.

The incident occurred in the Ahascragh area on the Wednesday night of January 4 last, when a local resident heard a noise near his neighbour’s house that was unoccupied at the time.

The man – in his fifties – got his torch to investigate the matter shortly before 10pm in the Chapel Street area of Ahascragh and saw a man in a hoodie close to his neighbour’s oil tank with a container nearby.

At that point, the man near the oil tank rushed from the scene but as he passed by the ‘investigating neighbour’ he struck him on the head with a ‘solid object’.

The thief then ran off about 100 yards down the road where a car was waiting for him and the vehicle drove off at speed. The victim of the assault said that the incident had left himself and his family ‘badly shaken’.

Gardaí in Ballinasloe were alerted by the man’s wife shortly after the incident and they have appealed for anyone with information to make contact with them on 09096-31890.

A Garda spokesman told the Connacht Tribune that they took a serious view of the incident and were undertaking a major investigation to find the culprits.

“If someone notices a crime being committed, our advice is to quickly note any details and to immediately make contact with the Gardaí – the quicker the better,” said the Garda spokesman.

The spokesman also advised that during this time of year, there tended to be a number of thefts of diesel or home heating oil.

“If at all possible, keep you tank in a secure area; have a security lock on the tank; and have a light on in the area. Thefts of oil tend to be opportunist with the easiest targets picked off,” said the Garda spokesman.

The victim of the assault has asked people in the North-East Galway and Ahascragh area to be vigilant and to be aware that this can happen to anyone.

“Above all, do not approach these criminals as I know only too well to my cost. Something like this can have such an affect on your life – if anyone knows anything about this, please contact the Gardai,” the man said.