Nintendo DS stolen as ‘Santa’ sang carol

Gardaí in Sixmilebridge, Co Clare, are on the look-out for a boyish-looking, carol- singing, ‘bad’ Santa.

Officers are hoping he may be able to assist gardaí with the disappearance of a Nintendo DS.

The hand-held game device had been sitting on a window sill inside the front door when the young singer, dressed in a Santa suit, delivered a few verses of a Christmas carol.

The householder in the local Lios Anama estate reportedly stepped inside to get her purse to reward the boy.

However, when she returned, she noticed the Nintendo DS was gone.

According to gardaí, the boy they would like to talk to could be as young as 12.

Yesterday, Clare’s Crime Prevention Officer, Sgt Joe Downey of Ennis Garda Station, described the offence, late last week, as “opportunist”.

The DS — which retails for between €129 and €259 — belonged to a 10-year-old boy who had gone next door to play with a friend and had left the DS inside the front door of his neighbour’s home.

Yesterday, the boy’s stepdad said: “It is ironic and sad that the DS was taken just as someone was showing generosity to this boy dressed as Santa. You wouldn’t expect a child to do something like this but we have a boy who is now without his Nintendo DS.

“We can’t say for sure that it was this boy who took the DS, but the DS was there before he came to the door to sing and it was gone when the woman returned to give him some money.

“It is a pity that such a thing would happen so close to Christmas and it is upsetting. What happened is a reflection of the society that we live in that you have to be so careful and you can’t take anything for granted.”

The man, who did not wish to be named, said the thief “wasn’t entering the Christmas spirit” when he took the Nintendo DS.

He said: “At this stage, we have no great hope of getting it back.”

However, he added: “But it’s only a DS and there are a lot of people out there having a tough time coming into Christmas so we will just rock on and make sure that we will have a great Christmas.”

Local Independent member of Clare County Council, PJ Ryan, said: “Taking the DS was a particularly mean thing to do and it is a terrible time of year for this to happen.

“It will also make people wary of supporting legitimate carol singers raising money for local charities.”

Those with any information can call Sixmilebridge Garda Station on 061 369133.