Gardaí recover two firearms and arrest three in horror burglary probe

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Ken Foy

March 16 2021 02:20 PM

Gardaí have recovered two firearms that were stolen in a horrific aggravated burglary in which a man aged in his 60s was savagely attacked in his own home.

Two legally held rifles and a shotgun were stolen in the robbery on the evening of Saturday, January 30 last at a rural property outside Monasterevin in Co Kildare.

The crime has been a major focus for Kildare gardaí since then and last week three suspects in the case were arrested including the chief suspect who is a prolific burglar aged in his early 20s from Co Kildare and who has serious drug addiction issues.

As part of the lengthy investigation, gardaí have recovered two of the weapons that were stolen during a search of waste ground in the Newbridge area.

The firearms are now undergoing ballistic testing.

All three suspects that were arrested have since been released without charge and a file is being prepared for the Director of Public Proseuctions.

“Gardaí are in no doubt that the motive for this robbery was the theft of the firearms but are not sure what the purpose of this was – whether they were to be sold on or to be used in other crimes,” a source told Independent.ie.

“It is a great result to get these weapons off the street and gardaí are hopeful of getting a charge in the case. This was a very serious crime and the level of violence used was off the charts,” the source added.

Gardaí are not linking the aggravated burglary to other similar crimes in Co Kildare during the winter.

The victim in the case required surgery after his horrific ordeal when two men entered the house and assaulted the owner.

He suffered a very serious injury to his arm and also injuries to his head as the criminals demanded to know where he kept his fireams.

They fled the scene in a car with the weapons but within days gardaí had identified the chief suspect in the case but he was not picked up until officers obtained enough evidence to put to him.