Christmas Day burglary foiled at Cork flat complex

Gardaí in Cork foiled a Christmas Day burglary when they arrested a man armed with a hatchet after he broke into an unoccupied flat complex in the city.

Officers responded to a report of a break-in at the premises on Sunday’s Well Road on the north side of the city around 8.10pm on Christmas night and found the intruder in an upstairs bedroom.

The 38-year-old man, who was armed with a hatchet, initially threatened the gardaí and resisted arrest but the two officers were able to disarm and arrest him.

The man - who is from Carrigaline - was taken to Gurranebraher Garda station where he was questioned about a series of break-ins in the Sunday's Well and Lee Road areas over Christmas.

He was questioned for several hours before charged in relation to the Sunday’s Well Road break-in and was released on station bail to appear at Cork District Court next week.

Meanwhile gardaí used pepper spray during a public order incident in Tralee late on St Stephen’s Night when a fight broke out in the town.

Two men in their 20s were arrested during the incident outside the Grand Hotel on Denny Street in the centre of town and taken to Tralee Garda Station for questioning.

Meanwhile gardaí in Galway are investigating an aggravated burglary in Ballybane in Galway where a woman was threatened by a masked raider armed with a machete.

The incident happened around 9pm on St Stephen’s Night when the woman answered a knock at the door and found herself facing a masked man armed with a machete.

The raider forced the woman back into her house where he threatened her and others in the house but one of the occupants recognised the raider through his balaclava and called out his name.

The raider lifted his balaclava and was recognised by the occupants of the house before he pulled down the balaclava again and fled empty handed.