Abbeyleix church robbed by thieves

A Catholic church in the Abbeyleix area was last week struck by thieves, who made off with a quantity of money and a number of pieces of gardening equipment.

The callous robbers gained forced entry to the church, which a garda spokesperson said was in “a subdistrict of Abbeyleix”, some time between June 9/10. Money was stolen from the premises, although fortunately it seems that only loose change was on offer. However, gardening equipment including lawnmowers which was stored in the grounds of the church was also taken.

Inquiries are ongoing and anyone who may have witnessed anything, or who may have any information on the break-in, should contact the gardaí.

The garda spokesperson has told the Leinster Express that there were also a number of burglaries from vacant houses, businesses and sheds in the last week, with thieves targeting garden equipment and power tools in a number of cases. Cash was also stolen during several burglaries, and in one case a laptop was taken.

The spokesperson also revealed that there has been a slight drop in the number of thefts from parked cars within the last week, compared to the number committed the previous week. The warning is again going out not to leave valuables on display in cars, as any items left on view will attract opportunistic thieves.

And a 23-year-old man was last week arrested and brought to Portlaoise Garda Station in connection with a murder investigation.

Last Tuesday, June 10, gardaí arrested three men as part of an investigation into the murder of 64-year-old Thomas Dooley at a house in Edenderry, Co. Offaly, on February 16 this year.

A 23-year-old male was brought to Portlaoise Garda Station while two 19-year-old males were brought to Tullamore Garda Station. All three were detained under the provisions of Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act, 1984. A garda spokesperson has confirmed that the 23-year-old has since been released and a file is being prepared for the Director of Public Prosecutions.

Anyone with any information on any of these crimes can call Portlaoise Garda Station on 05786 74100.