Masked thief with knife robbing teenager’s bag brings muggings in area to 18 in three months

Masked thief with knife robbing teenager’s bag brings muggings in area to 18 in three months

By Mary Dennehy

THE number of violent muggings in Tallaght since January soared to 18 this week, after a masked thief robbed a teenager’s bag at knife-point.

In the space of three months, there have been 18 robberies from people in the Tallaght area that involved violence, force or threat – with 21 thefts from people, which did not include violence, such as pickpocketing and bag-swiping, also reported in the same time-frame.

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The most recent incident happened at around 10.30pm on Tuesday close to St Mark’s Church in Springfield, and involved a male with his face covered cycling in front of a teenager and grabbing her black leather bag and phone – while holding a knife to her neck.

Confirming the incident to The Echo, a senior Garda source said: “A young lady was robbed by a male on a bike at around 10.30pm on Tuesday (April 5).

“The male, who was carrying a knife, had his face covered, so we do not have a great description. 
“No injuries were sustained in the robbery and anybody with information is encouraged to come forward.”

Muggings and thefts from the person have decreased slightly from this time last year, however official Garda figures report 18 violent robberies and 21 thefts from people in the Tallaght area in the last three months.

The Garda source said: “The public can help us in dealing with this type of crime and we would encourage anybody who sees anything suspicious to contact the station.

“In most cases of this nature, people are eventually arrested and prosecuted, but someone else usually steps in and continues with the crime.

“It’s so important that people are reporting suspicious activity and all muggings and incidents of thefts as it helps officers to create links and sometimes identify a person of interest.”

Anybody with information on Tuesday’s mugging in Springfield is encouraged to contact Tallaght Garda Station on 6666000.

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