Man speaks of fear after handgun hold-up

Gardai confirmed they are investigating an allegation that an Edenderry man was threatened with a handgun while walking home on Friday, April 24, last. Ray Thompson said he was walking through the Fairgreen area of Edenderry near the castle at about 1am when, 'a young fella came out of a gap from the walkway and produced a gun and was looking for money'. While he couldn"t confirm whether or not it was a real handgun, Mr Thompson said he wasn"t willing to take a chance. 'He demanded money. I told him I had no money. He said it again, give me your f**king money.' At this point Mr Thompson said the young man pulled something at the back of the gun. He heard a click, which he presumed was the sound of gun cocking. The man who approached Mr Thompson was in his teens or early 20s and from the locality. 'He was a local lad. He had an Edenderry accent,' commented Mr Thompson. Bizarrely, when Mr Thompson handed over his wallet which contained €5, the young man seemed unsure what to do with it and handed it back to him. The youngster then left the scene, pointing the weapon at the man as he departed. 'I think I"ll be taking a taxi from now on,' said Mr Thompson. The incident was frightening for the man who said you cannot tell whether someone is high on drugs or not. 'If you are not sure whether a gun is real you are better off treating it like the real thing,' he added. He reported the incident to Edenderry Gardai who took a statement in relation to the matter. Gardai confirmed the incident was reported and is under investigation.