Gardaí probe vicious attack
The victim told gardaí that a gang of six men broke into his cottage at Rathduffmore, on the Carlow-Wicklow border, on Wednesday night.
The house was protected by two Rottweillers and one Staffordshire Bull terrier. It is not clear if they were locked up at the time.
The man was tied up, subjected to a severe beating and shot in the arm, before the gang left. The gang removed three legally-held firearms — two shotguns and a rifle — belonging to the man from the house.
Garda sources said the man received “bad injuries to his face” from the beating. He told gardaí he managed to free himself. “He pumped blood all over the place when he moved, but he had to. It would have been worse if he just stayed there,” said a Garda source.
The victim, originally from Bray, Co Wicklow, sought help from a neighbour and was brought to Naas Hospital and then to Tallaght Hospital.
Garda sources said they were trying to uncover the motive for the attack.
One line of inquiry is that the attack may have been carried out by a biker gang involved in some sort of dispute with another outfit.
The victim was involved in a biker club based in Bray. Detectives are trying to identify and locate members of the rival gang. They will also try to talk to members of the victim’s club.
Gardaí stressed that the victim does not have a criminal record and is not known to gardaí. He had lived alone at the remote cottage for around five years.
