Manager beaten in €20,000 service station raid

A GANG believed to be behind the theft of over €5 million worth of cigarettes struck again yesterday when they attacked the manager of a petrol station with iron bars and hammers.

Stephen Nolan, aged 44, was opening the petrol station shortly after 6am when they attacked him: “They burst in shouting and wielding hammers and an iron bar. I was hauled into a back room where they hit me with a hammer and gave me a few head butts into the face. They broke one of my fingers with the hammer.”

He said that a woman who came on the scene was also hauled into the back room by the three masked raiders: “She was frightened out of her life.”

Gardaí were alerted by passers-by who saw the gang enter the garage at Athboy, Co Meath, but by the time they arrived the gang had fled in a silver car, either a Volkswagen Passat or Ford Mondeo. They escaped with a small amount of cash and €20,000 worth of cigarettes.

Gardaí say the Athboy robbers were probably members of a 20-strong gang based in Dublin and Limerick. They operate in groups of three and four, mainly targeting shops and petrol stations in rural towns. In a spree lasting five years, gardaí believe they have stolen over €5m worth of cigarettes and caused over 1m in damage to security systems. The gang are expert at disabling alarms and have often cut through live junction boxes to do so. Last year they cut a junction box in Mitchelstown, Co Cork, disabling 4,000 phones.

The gang also carry out surveillance on garda stations before robberies and have used scanners to listen into garda radio transmissions. Despite some arrests, gardaí have been unable to put the gang out of action. During their crime spree they have robbed shops throughout Munster, The Midlands and the West.

Last month three of them assaulted the manager of a Lidl supermarket in Youghal, Co Cork and forced him to open the store. They stole €50,000 in cash. Their biggest haul was also made in Co Cork when they broke into a store in Midleton and stole €125,000 two years ago.

Gardaí in the Midlands said the gang had carried out a number of raids in the area in recent months where on average they escaped with €20,000 worth of cigarettes each time.

The gang are believed to be in their 20s and 30s and use high-powered stolen cars to make their getaway. They have rammed pursuing garda cars and attacked gardaí. They also escape at night at high speed with headlights switched off.

“The gang are targeting rural areas and this is the time of year when they are most busy. We advise business owners to make sure their security systems are up to date. Garda crime prevention officers throughout the country will be happy to discuss any questions business owners may have,” said a garda spokesman.