Bungling thieves steal safe – but miss the loot

BUNGLING burglars stole a safe from a house belonging to a near neighbour of Lord of the Dance star Michael Flatley – but didn’t find the loot which was in front of their eyes.

They discarded the safe not realising a “substantial” amount of cash concealed in envelopes.

The owner was unaware his house had been ransacked until he woke on Tuesday morning.

The criminals, it emerged, had driven a few miles from the Fermoy crime scene before they took the safe out of their car and broke it open.

They then proceeded to check the contents but failed to open the envelopes bulging with cash.

They then drove off unaware they had left the jackpot behind.

Gardaí investigating the break-in at South Cregg, Fermoy, believe the thieves gained access to the man’s house between 5am-6am on March 30.

The safe was subsequently located at Ballymaclaurence, Ballyhooly – about 5km from the scene of the raid.

A Garda source said the owner was “very lucky” that the gang hadn’t spotted the money.

They believe the same gang may have carried similar burglaries in the north and east Cork areas in recent days.

A Garda spokesman said the burglaries all occurred at night and involved the theft of handbags and wallets.

The spokesman said gardaí were particularly concerned, that in some cases, householders had not secured doors and windows, making it easier for break-ins.

“People should always ensure their doors, patio doors and windows are locked and switch on alarms if they have them. They should also report any suspicious activity in their area immediately to their local garda station,” the garda spokesman said.

Gardaí in Fermoy are appealing for anybody who saw suspicious activity between South Cregg and Ballyhooly to contact them at (025) 82100.

Meanwhile, gardaí in Blarney have issued a warning about daytime break-ins in their area.

A Garda spokesman said burglars had hit houses in recent days, especially between 9.30am and 1.30pm when their owners were out at work.

In several cases householders had forgot to lock their back doors.

Blarney gardaí are also looking for information about a Mercedes 200 which was stolen from the area last Sunday morning.

It is described as a silvery-grey, two-door coupe with the registration number 05-C-8407.

Anybody with information on the vehicle is asked to contact Blarney garda station at [phone].