PRESS RELEASE : William Irwin slams second ATM theft [December 2022]

The press release issued by the DUP on 20 December 2022.

Newry & Armagh DUP MLA William Irwin has slammed those behind a second ATM theft at the Fruitfield service station and shopping complex on the outskirts of Richhill.

The incident occurred at 4.30am on Tuesday morning and involved the theft of a digger from a construction site close by. The site was previously targeted in May 2020 resulting in building damage and the theft of a significant amount of cash.

Commenting William Irwin said: “This is a shocking crime where a digger has been stolen from a site close by, driven through fences and fields, across a main busy road and then through the Fruitfield fences and eventually to the cash machine housing.

With the use of such a large machine significant damage has been caused to the building. The criminals stole the cash machine and fled.

This is a well-used complex and will certainly inconvenience a great many people who rely on the machine for their cash. There will also be a cost to the service station in rebuilding this facility and it illustrates the impact of such criminality. Hopefully those behind this criminality can be apprehended and brought before the courts.

This occurred at 4.30am this morning according to the PSNI and I would appeal to anyone who may have witnessed anything suspicious to contact the PSNI immediately and assist with their inquiries.”