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We first reported this problem in October of 2012 and now it appears that criminal elements in our midst have reignited their desire to steal telephone lines. Gardaí are requesting that people become more alert, following an increase in the theft of telephone lines from rural roadside locations across midland counties in recent weeks.
 Rural areas like Templetuohy, Thurles, Co. Tipperary were having roadside telephone wires stolen back in 2012. According to Gardaí, phone line theft is taking place along rural roadsides, usually during the hours of darkness; same targeted for their valuable copper content. Worse still, some metal junk yards are not asking questions as to where copper being offered to them for sale, is being legally procured.
In our neighbouring counties of Laois and Offaly, Gardaí and Eir claim that there have been 14 such cases of telephone line theft in recent weeks and these larcenies have been sporadic, right across the Gardaí division.
Also Gardaí state that the theft of copper cylinders and other copper fixtures and fittings, from vacant properties, also appears to be on the increase, with copper cylinders taken from some seven vacant properties in the Tullamore, Co. Offaly area recently.
The advise by Gardaí to the residents of Laois and Offaly, also holds good for Co. Tipperary dwellers; Note: Please secure any property you own, including buildings lying vacant and please do remain alert; reporting any suspicious activity immediately to Gardaí.
 Gardaí in the seaside town of Skibbereen in west Co. Cork, who had been investigating the death last September of Mr John Ustic, latter originally from England, have today released without charge a man in his 20’s, who had been arrested in connection with their investigations.
The man, who had been arrested in Co. Tipperary just yesterday, before being detained at Bandon Garda Station under the provisions of Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act 1984, will now have a file prepared and sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions for consideration.
The body of Mr Ustic was located in a rented terraced house at High Street in the town, at around 9.00am by his partner on the morning of September 25th last. The deceased is understood to have moved to West Cork several years ago, before eventually settling in Skibbereen.
 A Garda Detective narrowly escaped serious injury last night, when a firearm was discharged above his head, during his pursuit of a burglary gang, across Co Kildare.
Gardaí had been in pursuit of a black Audi estate car. The Audi, which bore a partial registration of 151 G, was suspected of being involved in a number of burglaries in the Cork and Tipperary area. The Tipperary raid is understood to have occurred in New Inn, South Tipperary where the high-powered vehicle was identified as being associated with the theft of a gun safe containing three individual firearms.
The Audi was later spotted by Garda units close to Monasterevin, Co. Kildare at 9.30pm last night. Officers had observed the car driving at high speed through the area, heading towards the Kildare Road.
Officers followed the car from an area known as Ashgrove, Kildare, before halting it at nearby Larch Hill, Kildare. A male; the occupant of the front passenger seat, armed with a shotgun, then dismounted from the vehicle and fired a single shot over a detective Garda’s head. Thankfully no one was injured during the incident.
We understand other armed Garda units were then made aware of this incident and responded by halting a silver Hyundai car at Pollardstown in Newbridge at about 10.30pm.
We also understand that three male individuals; aged 23, 27 and 32 years of age, were arrested and today remain in custody at Portlaoise and Tullamore garda stations.
This latest incident comes about as a depleted rural Garda force struggles to curb a renewed blitz of rural burglaries being conducted in the Midlands, by Dublin and Limerick based criminal gangs.
A 51-year-old male has been arrested in Co Tipperary today, (under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act) in connection with the murder of a man in West Cork last September.
The arrested man is being detained at Bandon Garda Station.
The murdered body of Mr John Ustic had been found in the living room of his rented house at High Street, Skibbereen on Monday September 25th last. Gardaí had later designated the death as one of murder, following a post-mortem examination carried out on the Englishman’s body by the State Pathologist Dr Marie Cassidy, who declared that it was clear that Mr Ustic had died as a result of an injury sustained in a recent assault.
Initially the alarm has been raised when Mr Ustic was found by his partner in the living room of their rented, terraced house at High Street in Skibbereen, at around 9.00am on the date in question. Mr Ustic had been last seen in a nearby car park on the previous Sunday evening, where he had been found bearing the marks of bruising and with major cuts, by neighbours, who brought him to his home just opposite.
It is understood that the arrest may have been made following the examination of CCTV footage obtained from local businesses.
On the night of the 16th April 2012, men broke down a glass rear door to the Garvey family home situated at Sunville House, near Pallasgreen in Co Limerick. The raiders, Limerick Circuit Court was told today, were armed with a sawn-off shotgun, a sledgehammer and a baseball bat, and threatened the aforementioned family, before assaulted them and changing their lives for ever.
Mr Patrick Roche, aged 54 years, his son Mr Philip Roche, aged 24 years, with addresses in Clondalkin Co. Dublin, and a son-in-law Mr Alan Freeman, aged 36 years, with an address at No. 73 Pierce Park, Tipperary Town, Co. Tipperary; who all denied their part in the robbery, were all found guilty of the crime following a nine-week trial.
The three men subjected Mr Gerard Garvey, his wife Ann, and their four teenage children (two sets of twins aged 17 and 14) to a frightening ordeal. In demands for money, Mr Garvey was handcuffed and facially assaulted with the sawn-off shotgun before being informed that both he and his household would be murdered. One of his teenage daughters was tied up using cable ties, while one of his sons was also facially assaulted. The court was informed that the children of the family suffered nightmares; today remain frightened by even the slightest noise, while each day they remain fearful that a similar ordeal could reoccur.
The raiders eventually escaped, but not before stealing a large amount of cash from a family safe.
Mr Philip Roche and Mr Alan Freeman are on record as having a number of previous offences for both aggravated robbery and assault, with Mr Freeman having had one previous conviction sentence reduced by two years on appeal.
Sentencing by Mr Justice John Hannan will be imposed on November 24th 2017 next.
With banking institutions now curtailing counter services and with little or no interest being accrued on deposits / savings accounts; rural dwellers, in particular, are now being encouraged literally by these shameful institutions, to no longer lodge large sums of cash; holding same in their homes; something current government must now discuss and urgently address.
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