WOMEN out walking in Limerick city at nighttime are being warned to be extra vigilant in the aftermath of a number of muggings that have been described by Gardaí as “particularly frightening ordeals”.
In the wake of two incidents, Garda spokesperson Sinead Galvin of the Community Policing unit at Henry Street, said the muggings happened in Thomondgate and Mulgrave Street areas last week.
With this week designated as ‘Safer Communities Week’, Gardaí are appealing for people to be cautious and aware of their surroundings.
Garda Galvin said that a woman was walking home from work in the Thomondgate area of Limerick city when she became aware of the fact that she was being followed.
“A struggle ensued between the injured party and the culprit, with the culprit trying to grab the injured party’s bag.”
However, the woman managed to fight off her attacker and the culprit left empty-handed.
“This was a particularly frightening experience for the injured party. The culprit in this case is described as being a tall male, wearing a blue hoodie with a white colour on the front of it and had a Limerick accent.”
Last Sunday, a similar incident on Mulgrave Street occurred when another woman was targeted by a lone attacker.
Garda Galvin said that the female was almost at her home when a man approached her from behind and grabbed the bag she was carrying. The bag contained a large quantity of cash and the culprit quickly left the scene.
She said the incident happened “very quickly and was a frightening ordeal for the injured party”.
The latest attacks follow a series of mugging incidents in the city over recent months.
Gardai at Henry Street and Roxboro Garda Stations are appealing to anyone that may be able to help in identifying the culprits in these incidents.
Meanwhile, as Gardaí continue their investigations, a 26 year-old man was sentenced to five months imprisonment at Limerick District Court on Wednesday for robbing money from a woman who had withdrawn cash from an ATM machine in the city centre last April.
Imposing the sentence, Judge Eugene O’Kelly described the crime as a “particularly nasty and calculated offence”.
