Gardaí turn to pub-goers for clues to robbery

GARDAÍ are anxious to talk to more than 150 customers who may have seen a robber leaving a pub after he had tied up a member of staff and stole the night’s €8,500 takings.

Gardaí are still not sure if the robber followed the assistant manager upstairs or was lying in wait for him as he went to secure the takings.

A spokesman for management at the East Village Bar and Restaurant in Douglas, Cork, said yesterday that the member of staff was not hurt but was very shocked by the ordeal.

The robber came up behind the man and pushed him to the ground before tying him up.

“He was of stocky build and about 6ft 1inches tall. He could have been in his 20s or 30s,” a garda spokesman said.

The cheeky thief, who was not armed, also took the videotape from the bar’s CCTV system to prevent gardaí from identifying him.

The robbery took place shortly after 11.30pm on Sunday night.

Gardaí were quickly on the scene but the robber had fled.

“The premises has a number of exits which the robber could have used to leave.

“We know that he didn’t leave via the kitchen, as there were staff there at the time,” the garda spokesman said.

He said they were looking at CCTV footage from other businesses in the area in the hope of identifying the robber.

“We’d like to speak to anyone who was in the pub and noticed anybody acting suspiciously,” the spokesman added.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Douglas gardaí at 021 4891115.