Local SDLP councillor Richie McPhillips has condemned those responsible
A COUPLE from the Knocks say they are shaken after they were left tied up in their home as it was robbed by heartless thieves during a terrifying incident last Friday night.
Three masked men, one of whom was armed with a handgun, forced their way into the home of 46-year-old Paul Ingram and his partner Pauline (48) in The Knocks area at around 8pm. The men demanded money from the couple, who were then tied up and left in the house before the offenders made off with an undisclosed sum of money.
The couple were not injured during this incident, however Paul told the Fermanagh Herald that they have been left very badly shaken. Paul, who works as a mechanic, believes that the thieves would have been aware that a substantial sum of cash was in the house at the time. He says he opened the door to the robbers who then pushed their way into his home.
“There was a knock on the door at around 8pm, which wasn’t unusual as we would have a lot of people in and out of the house in the evening because I work as a mechanic at that time of the day. They pushed past me and grabbed the money before tying us up. The whole thing lasted about three or four minutes. It was a terrifying experience and has left Pauline afraid to leave the house,” Paul said.
Neighbour Paul McEntee lives close to the couple and says the local community is very concerned at this attack on their area.
“Everyone is stunned by what has happened. Paul and Pauline are a very well-known and popular couple in the area and they have suffered a terrifying ordeal. We have a lot of families in this area with young children and naturally they are very worried and fearful for their safety. It goes to show that we definitely need to see more rural police patrols in the area.”
Martin Kelly, a member of Knocks Community Association, added: “Unfortunately it would seem that the house was not picked at random and that those responsible would have known that there was a large sum of cash available there. These people don’t go around selecting houses on spec. It is scary that in this day and age rural areas can be targeted in these types of isolated incidents. The couple have lived here for 20 years and there has never been anything like this which is why everyone in the area is so shocked.”
Local SDLP Cllr Richie McPhillips condemned those responsible: “This is not something that we want to see happening in our local community and I want to extend my sympathy to the couple involved. I condemn any type of violation of privacy in people’s homes.”
The PSNI is asking anyone who may have noticed any suspicious activity in The Knocks area at the time of the incident or those who have information to contact them on the non-emergency number 101 or the Crimestoppers number 0800 555 111.
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