AN UNSUSPECTING teenage girl and her mother were attacked on one of the busiest streets in Limerick City last week in a violent robbery attempt.
A 17-year-old girl and her mother were walking on Roches Street in the city on Friday last (November 17) when they were accosted by two unidentified women, according to Sergeant Ber Leetch, Crime Prevention Officer at Henry Street Garda Station.
The two women made attempts to snatch the teenage girl’s handbag and make away with it in the incident which, according to Gardaí, happened at around 10.05pm last Friday night.
“The girl instinctively held onto it until one of the females punched her into her face with such force that she fell to the ground,” said Sergeant Leetch.
The girl’s mother also made efforts to fend off the assailants in an attempt to rescue her daughter and the handbag. She too was punched by the unidentified women.
After the brief violent exchange, overpowering the mother and daughter, the two women made off with a purse from the teenager’s handbag.
In an unconnected incident, just a few streets away, a man found himself falling victim to a speedy crime of opportunity in the early hours of the same day.
A man in his mid-20s was enjoying a night out in Limerick City when, at around 12.30am on Friday November 17, he took a phone call on Upper Denmark Street.
“Another male ran past him, grabbed his mobile phone, and kept running,” explained Sergeant Leetch.
The phone’s owner attempted to chase the robber but was unable to catch him.
Sergeant Leetch warned that criminals are on the lookout for items like mobile phones that are “easy to sell on”, urging people “not to show that you have one” in public.
“Be streetwise and pay attention to your surroundings, criminals can spot a moment of weakness and take your property in a second. Be vigilant. If you must use your phone, go into a shop or garage.”
Gardaí in Henry Street Garda Station are appealing for witnesses to both incidents, or anyone who may have information which may lead to the return of the stolen property of both individuals, to come forward on 061 212 400.
