Man stabbed twice in gang raid on antiques shop

A 50-YEAR-OLD businessman was stabbed twice and may also have been stunned with a taser during a raid on his city centre antiques shop.

Hugh Fitzgibbon, who is a business partner in Victoria Antiques, Cork, was in the shop with a female assistant when the raiders burst in at about 3.30pm.

They pulled up outside the shop in a car, after reversing down Oliver Plunkett Street.

Witnesses said the car driver became agitated after dropping off the two raiders and started hooting the horn, as if to get them to hurry up.

Once inside the shop the men pinned the female shop assistant to the ground and attacked Mr Fitzgibbon, before making off with three bags crammed with valuable items. The raiders were wearing wigs and dark glasses.

Gardaí were quickly on the scene, but not before the raiders escaped in a red Mazda, which is believed to have had a ’95-registration.

Francis Lennox, who was working in the hearing aid shop next door, said he came out when he heard the car horn repeatedly hooting. “They were big men. I saw them run out of the shop with some bags. These guys were frightening,” said Mr Lennox.

The injured man was taken to Cork University Hospital. His injuries were said not to be life-threatening.

A senior Garda spokesman said they were awaiting information from medical experts, which would confirm whether a taser stun-gun was used on Mr Fitzgibbon during the robbery.

“This was certainly a serious incident and we have a number of detectives working on the case. We are obviously very anxious to trace these men,” he said.

He added that the value of the items wasn’t yet known as staff would have to carry out an inventory to see what was missing.

“We want to hear from anybody who may have seen a car fitting that description with three men in it, before or after the robbery. It may have been around the city centre for a time before they struck,” said the Garda spokesman.

He also asked for people who witnessed the robbery, but who hadn’t yet come forward, to contact Anglesea Street Garda station at 021 4522000.