Thieves beat elderly farmer and steal cash, shotgun

Thieves beat and taunted an elderly farmer in his home before stealing his shotgun and a small sum of cash in the early hours of Friday morning.

The incident left the victim badly shaken. However, the man, 76, did not call the gardaí to report the incident.

Instead, a friend calling to check on him a day later raised the alarm after seeing the serious injuries suffered by the victim.

Friends say that the pensioner was battered and beaten and taunted by at least four men. “They dragged him out of his home, beat him and then went through his home before leaving with tools, a shotgun, and some money,” said one friend.

The thieves spent several minutes in the man’s home just outside Falcarragh, Co Donegal, looking for the valuables and cash.

“It means there is some lunatic out there now with a gun. That has left everyone frightened,” one neighbour said.

Gardaí have now launched a major investigation.

Another local man said: “We need more guards here, more guards out searching for this gang.

“It’s a disgrace what has happened to an absolutely innocent gentleman.”

Last week, a gang stole a sum of money and another shotgun when they broke into another elderly man’s home outside Castlefin, Co Donegal.

Meanwhile, police on both sides of the border are cracking down on the theft of livestock by criminal gangs. During a week-long operation, security forces monitored the movement of livestock predominantly in the border counties where most of the recent livestock theft has taken place.