Fruit stalls robbed

The operator of two fruit stalls that are familiar summer sights in Kilcullen has had his staff robbed three times in the last two weeks.



The two most recent were on Friday afternoon last, when the youngster manning the stall near Scoil Bhride had the stall thrown over and in the confusion the money he had out was taken.



"He texted me straight away and I got the guards out from Newbridge," Brendan Byrne of Carlow told the Diary. "And while they were talking to him, the other stall on the Athy Road was being robbed by a young fellow who threatened the lad working there."

These events were only a week after the Athy Road stall had been robbed previously.

"I've been doing this business for ten years, and I've never had this happen before," Mr Byrne said. "Now the youngsters are afraid to work the stalls, and I'm afraid for them anyway."

The description given to the Garda was of a 'blondy, sandy-haired chap, around 18', and the Diary understands that the guards are following a definite line of inquiry.

"They feel it is a local matter," Mr Byrne says, adding that he found it very difficult to understand how nobody saw what was happening at that time on Friday, on what is now a very busy road. "But it is clear that whoever did it waited until the late afternoon, so they knew there'd be money around."

The first robbery appears to also have been carried out by the perpetrator of last Friday's thefts, and the young girl at the stall was threatened 'by the same young fellow' with a 'stick wrapped in tape'.

"She was from Calverstown, and working to earn money to go on a school trip. And whatever about the money, I wouldn't want anyone to get hurt."

Mr Byrne also said there's been regular 'hassle' this year, including having the advertising signs thrown into Pinkeen Stream at night.



"They went to where we had them hidden behind the wall and brought them all the way down to the bridge to do it. And another time recently, a youngster stole a punnet of strawberries off the stall and then spent the next while throwing them at the young lad here, from behind the school wall. I went directly to his father, who is a nice man, and he made that lad come down and apologise."

Brian Byrne.