Burglars discard gun after crash through checkpoint

Gardaí believe three burglars threw a stolen shotgun, a flatscreen TV, a laptop, and other property out of their car when they panicked and fled after crashing through a routine checkpoint.

The men, believed to be well-known to gardaí and from the southside of Cork City, came across a routine checkpoint near Midleton, Co Cork, at lunchtime yesterday.

It is understood that the car they were driving failed to stop at the checkpoint and they were pursued and subsequently arrested by gardaí following the burglary, which is said to have occurred at around 1pm yesterday.

The three-man gang were arrested under section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act (1984) and taken to various Garda stations in the East Cork area for questioning.

The burglary took place at a house in the rural Leamlara area, north of Midleton.

The owner of the house was last night providing gardaí with a full inventory of what was stolen.

But gardaí were already concerned about the stolen shotgun, primarily because they believe gangs could use them or pass them off to other criminals.

Last week, gardaí in Mallow searched a former Statoil petrol station site and recovered two stolen firearms. One was stolen in New Ross, Co Wexford. It is unclear where the other came from.

A senior Garda source said that both had since “been sawn-off” and this indicated they may have been “stashed by criminals” who would later use them for robberies.

Gardaí will resume their search today in the Midleton area.

In the meantime, they are appealing for anybody who lives along the main Leamlara to Midleton road to check their land for the stolen property.

They are also appealing to people living in that area to contact them if they saw people travelling in a light green Opel Corsa on roads in the general area between 10am and 1pm yesterday.

* Those with information can contact Midleton Garda Station at 021 4621055.