Man’s €7k casino winnings stolen in late-night robbery

It was like a scene straight from a Las Vegas crime caper.

A high-roller gambler is on his way home after a good night at the casino’s tables.

On a motorway, his car is forced off the road.

Masked thieves put a knife to his throat and force him to hand over his winnings.

The gang speeds off in two cars with the victim’s money.

But this wasn’t a Hollywood film. This real-life robbery was carried out on the N20 near Patrickswell, south-west of Limerick City, early on Tuesday morning, when a sum believed to be in the region of €7,000 was taken.

Two men and two women were arrested in Southill and Rhebogue in Limerick City.

One woman was released without charge. The men, 32 and 25, and one of the women, 29, were still being held last night at Roxboro Rd and Henry St Garda Stations under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act.

Two more people were arrested later in the day, a man in his mid-20s and a woman in her early 20s. They were also being held last night at Henry St and Roxboro stations respectively.

Two vehicles seized by gardaí at Bohermore on the outskirts of the city were forensically examined.

The victim, an Asian-born businessman, spent his night at the tables in Fitzpatrick’s casino on Limerick’s Glentworth St.

He started his journey home to Kerry at around 1am, passing Limerick University Hospital in Dooradoyle before proceeding onto the N20.

Shortly after getting onto the motorway, two vehicles — a silver Ford and a black people-carrier — sped up, taking up position in front and alongside the victim’s car, forcing it off the road.

Two men wearing balaclavas then ran to his car and put a knife to his throat, demanding his night’s winnings.

During the encounter, the victim was struck. The gang then sped off with the winnings.

A passing motorist went to the assistance of the victim as he stood by his car waving for help. After gardaí got to the scene, the distressed victim was taken to Limerick University Hospital, where he was treated for superficial wounds.

Gardaí believed a gang member was in the casino and became interested in the large winnings of the victims and contacted associates who took up positions near the casino.

Gardaí have accessed CCTV material inside and outside the casino, and also harvested CCTV footage from a number of locations between the city centre and Dooradoyle.

Sgt Garry Thompson said: “We would appeal to anybody who was on the N20 between 1.15am and 1.30m on Tuesday morning and who may have seen anything suspicious to contact us.”

None of the money has yet been recovered.