A well-known local business has been left reeling after an overnight robbery in the early hours of this morning. At 5 a.m. on Tuesday, 6th October, the alarm was heard at Toomey’s Shop, Monard, Co. Tipperary, as two thieves broke through the front door, while a third person kept watch. The intruders entered the shop office to gain access to any available money.
It reportedly took the thieves three minutes to get through the bolted door, when a second alarm was triggered. By this time, Gardaí were already notified of an incident, and neighbours had been alerted. The thieves escaped before Gardaí arrived on site. The Toomey family, who have owned and ran the Monard shop and petrol station for many years, were told that the criminals had robbed a number of premises in Newport and Sixmilebridge, before arriving in Monard. Gardaí are still investigating the matter, and appeal to any witnesses or those with information to contact Tipperary Town Garda Station on: 062-51212.
In a statement given to Tipp Mid-West Radio, the shop owner, Mr. Pat Toomey, who is a well-known business man, and who also owns and runs a successful public-house business in the nearby village of Solohead said: ‘We need to crackdown on robberies. In a time of a pandemic, when businesses are struggling, and we are told that we are “in it together”, it is very worrying when thieves can get away with this in the middle of the night’.
Mr. Toomey’s wife and co-owner, Mary Toomey, explained her own feelings at this serious crime: ‘It’s hard to feel safe in your own home when bandits can break into your home and workplace to take anything they want. We are just so happy that we have a good village around us who support us’.
Investigations are ongoing.
