Thurles Information

Gardaí are examining fingerprints and video footage, following a robbery on Saturday night last, October 28th, in the Ballynonty village area, near Killenaule, Thurles, Co. Tipperary.

Four cars on a property, in this area, were targeted by a male wearing a grey tracksuit pants, a black hoodie and a black jacket.
A female and owner of the property was at home at the time, latter caring for her children, one of which has special needs, and was unaware of the robbery of her own car and that of her daughters, until the following morning.

Amongst the property stolen where extremely sentimental items, which previously had belonged to a recently deceased parent, latter who passed away on October 13th last.
Also stolen was a substantial sum of cash, the victims handbag, which included a purse containing her wages, credit cards, medical cards, perfume and her sons necessary medical requirements.
Stolen from the second vehicle were Christmas presents, a new car amplifier valued at €400 and a car battery.

According to CCTV footage the intruder was initially scared off; observed running away across the main road, due to the fact that the owner entered the yard of their home, during heavy rain, to obtain fuel for the families cooker.
Same footage shows the criminal seated in the victim’s car for a duration of same 8 to 10 mins, as he searched, while using a lighter to view through everything; having carefully switching off interior car lights. He can be observed climbing into the back seat, and pulling down the middle seat to gain access to the rear boot.

On being disturbed by the owner, the criminal returned later to the scene of his crime, before stealing all of the items from her daughters car.

Similar robberies have been recently reported in the areas of Urlingford and Thurles town with a thief or thieves searching cars.

Thurles Gardaí are now appealing to anyone in may have been in the Ballynonty / Killenaule, area between 8:45pm and 9:45pm and who may have dashcam footage or other information, to please make contact, Tel: 0504-25100 or Email: CT.TipperaryCentral.CE@Garda.ie.

A range of new criminal offences, as well as tougher sentences for existing offences, come into effect from today, November 1st 2023.

These offences include measures targeting violent and organised crime, violence against Gardaí and other emergency service workers, together with landmark measures to support victims and punish perpetrators of domestic, sexual and gender-based violence.

These new laws and tougher sentences mark a milestone in efforts to build stronger, safer communities and demonstrate zero Tolerance of domestic, sexual and gender-based violence.

From today, under the Criminal Justice (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2023:

• The maximum sentence for assault causing harm, a common offence in domestic abuse cases as well as in other assaults, increases from five years to ten years.
• The scope of the existing harassment offence is widened to include any conduct that seriously interferes with a person’s peace and privacy, or causes alarm, distress or harm.
• A new standalone offence of stalking, with a maximum sentence of up to ten years, is created and now in effect.
• A standalone offence of non-fatal strangulation or non-fatal suffocation with a maximum sentence of up to ten years, and a standalone offence of non-fatal strangulation or non-fatal suffocation causing serious harm with a maximum sentence of up to life imprisonment, often indicators of further, potentially lethal violence against a woman, are created and in effect.
• The maximum sentence for assaulting or threatening to assault a Garda or other on duty emergency workers increases from 7 to 12 years.
• The maximum sentence for conspiracy to murder increases from the current penalty of 10 years to life imprisonment to further toughen the laws around gangland crime.

The Act also introduces a range of provisions that will provide better protection for Gardaí and strengthen the laws designed to tackle serious and organised crime.

These include:

• Increasing the maximum sentence for assaulting or threatening to assault a police officer from 7 to 12 years. The increase in maximum sentence will apply where the assault in question is against an on duty Garda or emergency service worker, such as hospital staff, prison officers, members of the fire brigade, ambulance personnel or members of the Defence Forces.
• Increasing the maximum sentence for conspiracy to murder from the current penalty of 10 years to life imprisonment. The maximum sentence for conspiracy to murder has been set at 10 years since 1861. It is used when two or more people form a plan to murder another person but are stopped before they can carry it out.