Thursday, November 26, 2009
A SHOP owner in Arklow, Co Wicklow, was stabbed to death last night after he foiled a robbery.
John Deasy, a man in his late 40s, was fatally stabbed at the front door of his grocery and newsagency shop on Coolgreany Road by a raider who had attempted to rob his shop.
The incident happened shortly after 8pm when a man, armed with a knife, entered the shop. It was not clear if the attacker was acting on his own or had an accomplice.
A female shop assistant who was on duty at the time was understood to have been unharmed.
The owner of the shop, a father of two school-going girls, came upon the attempted robbery and may have grappled with the raider. In the scuffle which ensued Mr Deasy received fatal injuries.
He died at the scene about an hour later.
Last night, the location was sealed off pending the arrival of the State pathologist and Garda Technical Bureau personnel.
The body remained at the crime scene while preliminary forensic examinations were conducted.
As a murder investigation swung into action, involving officers from both the Arklow and Wicklow stations, members of the public who were on the Coolgraney Road between 7.45pm and 8.15pm were asked to come forward with information which might prove valuable in the case.
Statements were being taken by gardaí from some people who were thought to have witnessed the stabbing.
Cllr Nicky Kelly said that the town was in total shock and people were numbed at the news of the stabbing of Mr Deasy, a respected member of the community.
He said that Mr Deasy was very popular with young people. "Schoolchildren would have visited his shop every day on their way to the three schools on Coolgreany Road and those kids will be particularly upset at this news," he said.
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