Crimecall Episodes

Episode Date

Arson and assault Causing Harm Investigation – Sligo Town

The Gardaí at Sligo station are currently conducting an Arson and Assault Causing Harm investigation that occurred in the town during the early hours of Monday 27 April 2026. The fire caused extensive damage to the property, destroying parts of the upper floor apartments. The occupant of the apartment is currently hospitalised and receiving treatment for his injuries.

Gardaí believe from their investigation that the male suspect was first seen the previous evening, 26 April, at the Swagman pub, Sligo Town. The staff at the pub recall interacting with him while he socialised.

Shortly before 1am on the 27 April, the suspect is seen entering the Lyons Terrace apartment at the same time as a resident. Gardaí have carried out an extensive search of all the CCTV within the apartment complex, and have established that at approximately 1.20am, the man can be seen walking through the corridors of the apartment complex. Later at 7:54am, CCTV captures the suspect standing in the doorway of the apartment where he seems to engage in an incident with the resident. Moments later the suspect walked down the stairs, pulling his hood up as he exited the building.

As he does so smoke begins to pour from the apartment as fire rapidly spreads through the upper floor of the building. The victim who had been injured managed to drag himself onto the landing. A resident who noticed the fire left him close to a fire escape and went to raise the alarm. The victim was then rescued by Garda Michael Connolly and Garda David Stenson who attended the scene.

Victim Injuries:

Received an injury to his head and broke his hip.

Suspect description:

Gender – Male
Approximate age - Between 22 and 28 years old
Height - Approximately 5 foot 11
Hair - shoulder length dark hair
Facial hair - moustache and goatee
Spoke with an Irish accent

Clothing:

Dark clothes, Guns and Roses T-shirt

Garda Appeal:

Did you see the suspect in Sligo Town on the 26th of April or after 8am on the 27th of April 2026?
Did you notice anyone or anything suspicious in the area around that time of the incident shortly before 8am on the 27th of April?
Do you have CCTV, dashcam, or doorbell footage that you want to share with the investigation?
Do you recognise or think you know the identity of the suspect and/or his whereabouts?

Burglary Investigation – Ballyragget Co.Kilkenny

The Gardaí at Kilkenny City are investigating an incident of burglary that occurred at Ballyragget, Co.Kilkenny during the early hours of Tuesday, March 31st, 2026.

At approximately 3am a Black BMW car arrived at a newsagents located in the middle of the town. The car had travelled from the Durrow direction on the N77, arriving onto Main street Ballyragget. It initially drove by the newsagents and traveled along Castle Street in the direction of Kilkenny City before stopping at a nearby Service Station in the town.

The car continued driving around the town taking in Patrick Street, Moate Street before arriving back at the square (referred to locally as An Chearnóg), where it parked outside the newsagent known as “News and Chews”. At this point a male suspect got out before the driver reversed the car to face towards the street.

The driver then exited the car and the two suspects approached the shop together with a white sack and hammer. One of the suspects then broke the bottom pane of glass with the hammer and gained entry to the shop.

Once inside the two men removed cash from the till and then took a large number of vapes, which they put inside the white sack. As they left the shop, the bag broke, causing the suspects to have the gather the vapes of the shop floor and path outside. The eventually place the bag in the BMW when CCTV captures them departing in the direction of Kilkenny City.

Property taken

· Vapes to the value of over €3,000

Descrption of suspect car

Black BMW Series 3 – suspected cloned registration plates.

Suspect descriptions:

Suspect 1

The older man (driver) is wearing grey and white Nike runners, navy clothing, a cap and glasses.

Suspect 2

The younger male (passenger) is wearing black runners with a white stripe, black bottoms and distinctive orange gloves.

Garda Appeal:

Do you recognize or think you know the identity of these two suspects?
Did you see the Black BMW on the evening of Monday 30 March into the following Tuesday?
Do you know who has possession of this car?
Do you know or have you been offered vapes for sale in dubious circumstances?

CCTV

Assault, Oliver Plunkett Street, Cork City

The Gardaí at Anglesea Street are investigating an assault incident that occurred at a bar on Oliver Plunkett Street on 16th November 2025 at approximately 3am. The IP was socialising at a bar when he was approached by a male suspect and punched in the face, knocking him to the ground.

SUSPECTS DESCRIPTION

Male
Black hair,
Mid 30’s,
Medium build,
Approximately 5ft 9in in height
Wearing a black and white checked shacked.

Theft from shop Investigation – Kilkenny City

The male suspect entered the shop where he placed clothes into a shopping bag, before leaving making no attempt to pay.

Suspect Description

Male,
Average height / build

Clothing

Black shell jacket
Yankees baseball cap
White runners

Theft from ATM Investigation – Co . Monaghan

The victim withdrew money from ATM but never removed it. A short while later a female suspect approached the ATM, removed the money and left the shop.

Suspect Description

Female
Blonde hair

Clothing

Pink jacket
Pink shoulder Bag
Blue Jeans
Grey topped trainers with white and pink edging

Theft from shop Investigation – Headford, Co. Galway

Male and Female suspects entered the shop removing clothing items from boxes and placed them in a bag. They then only paid for some smaller items and left the shop with the unpaid items as well.

Suspect Description

Suspect 1

Male
Early 30’s
Black hair
Beard

Clothing

Glasses
Orange hi vis Jacket
Black Jacket
Black Pants

Suspect 2

Female
Early 20’s

Clothing

Wearing Black Jacket with pink stripe

Assault Investigation - Meave Square, Sligo Town

Suspect punched and kicked the victim while on the dance floor of a bar. The victim sustained injuries that required surgery for two breaks to his left leg.

Suspect Description

Male
Dark hair
Stubbly beard

Clothing

Wearing light red or orange top

Burglary Investigation - Ashbourne, Co.Meath

Suspects entered property by forcing entry at the rear of the address. Jewellery to the value of €17,250 was subsequently reported taken from the house.

Suspects Description

Male,

Clothing

Wears mask
Black top
Grey Gloves
Shoe blue covers

Assault Investigation - Carrickmacross,Co Monaghan

Male suspect walked into the shop with another man and approached a female customer. At this point an incident occurred following which the man immediately walked away.

Suspect Description

Older Male (60’s)
Short
Balding with some grey hair

Clothing

Black or Navy Jumper
Blue Jeans
Black runners
Has a noticeable hunched back

Robbery Investigation - Georges Street, Dublin 2

Male suspect walked behind the victim and attempted to grab his phone by force. He is then assisted by a female suspect who blocked the victim from escaping. The male suspect then took the phone and ran away.

Suspect Descriptions

Suspect 1

Male
Medium build
Approx. 5’8”
Brown hair

Clothing

Blue rain jacket
Grey pants
Black runners

Suspect 2

Female
Blonde hair

Clothing

Black Jacket
Blue Jeans
Carrying a grey hoodie

Burglary Investigation – Father Griffin Avenue, Galway City

The Gardaí at Galway are investigating a burglary incident that occurred on Saturday 3rd January 2026, at 11pm. A male suspect broke a window and gained entry to the building and looked around before leaving through the door.

Suspect Description:

Male
Age: 40’s – 50’s
Average height
Stocky build

Clothing

Beanie
Black bubble jacket
Blue trousers
Black runners

Theft from shop Investigation – Carlow Town, Co. Carlow

The Gardaí at Carlow are investigating a theft incident that occurred on Friday 20th June 2025, shortly before 5.10pm. A male suspect entered the shop, placed items of alcohol in his trolley. He then walked past all points of payments making no attempt to pay.

Suspect Description:

Male
Age: Late 30’s – early 40’s
Height 5’8 – 5’10
Dark hair

Clothing

Black t-shirt with white stripe
Black shorts
White runners
Black sunglasses

Assault Causing Harm Investigation – Bowling Green Street, Cork City

The Gardaí at Anglesea Street are investigating an assault incident that occurred in Cork City, the male suspect could be seen running up to the two females and began punching them on two occasions before finally running off.

Suspect Description:

Male
Height 5’6 – 5’7
Short dark hair
Clean shaven
Stocky build

Clothing

Black jumper with ‘BOSS’ on chest

Theft from person Investigation – Bray, Co. Wicklow

The Gardaí at Bray are investigating a theft from person incident that occurred on Monday 15th April 2024.At 11.30am a female suspect entered a shop, picked up a t-shirt, approached the victim who had their purse on a pram. The suspect then removed the bag off the pram and left the shop.

Suspect Description:

Female
Age 20-30’s

Clothing

Black hooded sleeveless jacket
Green top
Black trousers
White runners
Small black shoulder bag

Crime Prevention message - Bogus Callers / Traders

On this month’s Crimecall, Sergeant John Fitzpatrick was in studio and provided Crime Prevention information in relation to “Bogus Callers / Traders”.

An Garda Síochána are advising the public to be vigilant when cold callers call to a home offering a service such as repair work / maintenance or goods for sale. While there are legitimate sales people calling to homes offering legitimate services and many people do routinely employ people offering work / services at the front door, some individuals (Bogus Callers) aim to take advantage of vulnerable people. This usually involves coercing a victim into handing out large amounts of money for little work or gaining trust to access your home.

This behaviour may be criminal, with investigations of this nature not limited to but ranging from offences such as criminal damage, burglary, theft, deception to demanding money with menaces. If it sounds too good to be true it usually is.

If you suspect that bogus caller(s) or trades person(s) are operating in your area and appear suspicious or are working in a vulnerable neighbour’s home please contact the Gardaí and notify your neighbours. Try to note as much additional information about the culprit(s) as possible but never put yourself at risk. Information such as a description of the individual’s height, clothing, accent and details of any vehicle they are using, e.g. vehicle colour, make, model, registration number.

Bogus callers may operate in a number of ways. The culprit(s) will call to the home of a victim usually identified by them beforehand. This is often the home of an older or vulnerable person who may be living alone. This information is usually gleaned by surveillance or ‘discreet’ / ‘innocent’ enquiries made by the culprit(s) locally. They may also target the person because they have been ’successful’ there previously. The majority of incidents occur during the course of the day between 9am to 4pm, between Monday and Friday.

Some of the reasons these Bogus Callers may give for calling to the door is outlined below:

Tree Cutting/Trimming services
Roof Cleaning
Roof Repairing
Window Cleaning
Driveway Power Washing
Landscaping
Painting
Odd Jobs
Charity
Sale of Clothes
Carol Signing
Gutter Cleaning
Gutter Repair
County Council
Garda – Checking Cash
Cash found outside home
Tarmac for sale
Replace fire extinguishers
Clean Garden

Examples of how a culprit(s) may operate is outlined below:

Distraction Burglary

The culprit(s) will call to a home under the guise of selling a product or a service. They will keep the resident at the door talking for as long as possible. This is to allow time for an accomplice to enter the home through a different access point to steal items of value.

Poor or no work carried out / excessive charges

The culprit(s) will often call on the pretext of being professional trades persons, e.g. roofers, guttering experts, painters, etc. and convince the victim that repairs need to be carried out or that they have worked on a neighbouring house.

Services will be offered on the understanding that they are competent and in-expensive. The culprit(s) will then usually go to the roof, attic, or hard to reach area of the house identified and give the impression that they are carrying out works, e.g. by hammering, drilling, painting etc. On completing the ‘work’, invariably in a short period, they then demand payment by cash, often using threatening and intimidating tactics. The culprit(s) may even commence ‘work’ without permission and then demand payment and may even go as far as offering to drive the victim to the bank to collect money.

Bogus Charges

Different member(s) of the same criminal group may return at a future date to a victim’s home posing as V.A.T. or Revenue Officials. They will demand money for ‘work’ already performed by them and seek further payments.

Deposit Scam

When the criminal(s) has spoken with a resident and are satisfied that the intended victim has been hoodwinked into engaging them for work, they will demand a deposit to purchase the materials to carry out the necessary repairs. Having secured the deposit they flee, never to return.

Opportunity Thefts / Coercion

The criminal(s) will target a particular area and offer a real or genuine service to the victim or may convince the resident they are from a utility services provider such as Gas, Water or Electricity with a need to check inside the property for faults. Having gained entry they may wander through the home to see if there are any items of value. This could be furniture, paintings or other valuables. They will then offer to buy the item for well below the market value. They then coerce their victim to sign receipts for the sale of the article secured by them. They can use subtle and intimidating tactics into forcing the victim to ‘sell’ to them what they want.

With regards to bogus callers we advise you to keep control, consider this security check:

Are you expecting callers? If not look out the window to see the caller(s), make a note of their clothing, physical description or their vehicles description.

Have you a door viewer fitted in your door? You are safer behind a closed door.

Have you a door chain / limiter fitted and the chain / limiter engaged? If you must open the door, use the limiter.
Consider installing a video doorbell which links to your mobile phone, that way you don’t have to open the door to speak to the caller and can do so from the mobile device.
If you are going to open your door to callers, ensure your back door is locked before you do.
If you are going to engage, ask for ID – a genuine caller won’t mind.
Don’t be embarrassed to tell the caller to write their contact details down for you so that you can make an appointment with them in the future if you decide to.
Use recommended trades persons, avoid using the services of cold callers.
The basic rule is - if you don’t know the person at your door, you shouldn’t let them in.
If you are anxious and feel you are being targeted contact Gardaí on 999 or 112.

If you think you have become a victim to this type of crime what should you do?

Never be embarrassed or ashamed to contact the Gardaí. Do so immediately.
Write down all you can remember about what happened - include descriptions of the person(s), their clothing, any peculiarities or distinguishing features and any vehicles used by them. Keep safely any documents they may have given you.
For those people who may have elderly or vulnerable neighbours or friends, be a good neighbour and advise them of these possible scams. If you suspect that bogus callers or trades people are in your area and appear suspicious or are working in a vulnerable neighbour’s home – never hesitate in contacting the Gardaí immediately.
Genuine trades’ people will not be offended by any enquiries the Gardaí may make and, indeed, usually welcome them.

Ask your local Garda station about ‘bogus caller cards’. These cards advise that the front door should not be open to cold callers. If you answer the door, apply the chain or door limiter and hand the caller the card. Do not enter into a conversation with the caller. As stated above genuine callers will leave their details on the card. For further Information see - bogus-traders-callers.pdf (garda.ie)

Deception Investigation – Ballyfermot Garda Station

Gardaí at Ballyfermot station are investigating a case of deception where a woman was convinced to hand over her bank cards to someone she believed was a bank employee.

On 2nd September 2025, a woman received a text message that appeared to be from her bank, asking her to confirm if a payment on her account was genuine. When she replied no, she received a phone call from a person who claimed to be from her bank. While on the phone, a female called to the victim’s house claiming she was a bank employee. She requested the victim’s sim card to her phone, her two bank cards and pins.

The cards were used on numerous occasions over the next few days.

One suspect used one of the woman’s cards at ATMs in Tallaght, Ballyfermot, Dun Laoghaire and the Naas Road in Dublin, as well as in Bray, Co. Wicklow. Over the course of four days, he withdrew over €5,500.

A second suspect used the victim’s cards in shops, Swords, Fonthill and Carrickmines in Dublin and in Naas, Co. Kildare, spending over €3000.

Suspect Description:

Suspect 1

Late 20’s to early 30’s.
Black Hair and goatee
Approx. 5’10”
Slim build
Wearing tracksuit bottoms, Northface half zip top, black crocs.
Also on another date, seen wearing tracksuit bottoms, grey jumper, black Nike puffer jacket, and black crocs.

Suspect 2

Short fair/red hair
Early 20’s
Approx. 5’10”
Slim Build
Seen wearing a Tommy Hilfiger jacket in all footage, black tracksuit bottoms and black Nike runners.

Garda Appeal:

Gardaí are appealing to the public if they know the identity of these men to contact them.
Do you know the whereabouts of these men?
Gardaí are appealing to anyone that has any information in relation to these two suspects, to contact them.

Male Unidentified Human Remains - Cork City

The Gardaí at Ballincollig Station Cork are seeking the public’s assistance in identifying the man you can see in the above photo, who initially came to the attention of Gardaí on August 25th,1986, when he was brought from a bus shelter in Ballincollig to Cork City, where he stayed in their care until he passed away on September 23 2021. In all that time, he provided little information to formally identify him or any family he may have had.

Sergeant Aoife Corcoran who is leading the investigation explained that when she spoke with the staff at the hospital on the night the man passed away, they confirmed he spoke with a neutral accent that was not identifiable.

Garda Investigation

Investigations to date have included taking DNA samples, with Interpol making enquiries being conducted in Chicago and Wales. Unfortunately, a match to date has not been identified and the investigation has currently exhausted all lines of enquiry

Description:

During his time in the care of the HSE he was given a name and estimated year of birth as 1930 - This would have put this man at approximately (91) years of age when he passed away which would make him approximately (96) years present day.
Height - Approximately 178cm (5 10”) weighing 70kgs.
Eyes – blue
Sallow skin with a number of large sun marks.
Staff at St Stephens confirmed that he spoke with a neutral accent that was not identifiable

Garda Appeal:

We’re asking anyone who believe they can help identify this gentleman from the photograph to come forward with any information they may have...or if anyone is aware of a family member that went missing to the 1980s that fits this man’s description, to please get in touchtonight.
While the photos were taken shortly before the man passed, the public may recognize him as a much younger man from prior to 1986.