Couple arrested over break-in at home of man (75) in Cork

Gardaí have arrested a man and a woman for questioning about an aggravated burglary in Cork in which a man (75) was beaten and locked in his bedroom.

Detectives arrested the suspects, aged in their 30s, in Mayfield on the city's northside at around 8am on Wednesday for questioning about the incident at Bull's Lane off the Blackrock Road.

The arrests came after a man and a woman broke into a two storey house on a cul-de sac near Ashton Comprehensive School sometime between 8pm on Friday and 6.30am on Saturday.

The raiders forced their way through the back door, woke the man, took him from his bed and demanded cash. When the man challenged the raiders, he was hit on his head and body.

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The man, who lives alone, suffered cuts and bruises to his face and arms during the burglary and was locked in his room by the intruders who made off with a small amount of cash, his mobile phone, watch and bank card.

The man remained locked in his room until around lunchtime on Saturday, when his sister called to bring him his lunch and heard him shouting for help. She alerted gardaí and the man was freed and treated for his injuries.

Garda technical experts carried out a forensic examination of the scene and detectives have been examining CCTV footage from the surrounding area in the hope of finding material which could help identify the culprits.

The arrested man was taken to Mayfield Garda station and the woman to Togher Garda station for questioning. They are being held under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act, which allows gardaí to detain suspects for up to 24 hours.