Thursday 29 October 2026Compiled from published reports. Every claim links to its source.

Ireland Crime

Every case followed from the first report to the sentence, or to where the reporting stopped.

Case No. 7600Burglary · Co. Longford · 31 Aug 2023

Man posing as garda steals pensioner's wallet in Legan, Co Longford burglary

On 31 August 2023 at around 5pm, a man posing as a plain clothes garda called at a home in Legan, Co Longford, where a man in his mid 70s lived. The victim allowed him inside after he said he was doing a routine check on elderly people, and a sum of cash was taken during the burglary. The suspect is believed to have taken the victim's wallet after asking him to mark it. The case was first reported on 1 September 2023, with no arrest or charge reported, and gardaí said investigations are ongoing.

  1. Reported1 Sep
  2. Arrested
  3. Charged
  4. In court
  5. Verdict
  6. Sentenced
reportedhappened, not reportedlatest stagenot yet

Key facts

consolidated from all reports
What happened
  • A male impersonating a member of An Garda Síochána entered the home of an elderly male.
  • The suspect told the victim he was doing a routine check on elderly people after being newly assigned to the area.
  • A sum of cash was taken during the burglary.
  • The suspect is believed to have taken the victim's wallet moments after asking him to mark it for security purposes.
Where
The burglary occurred at a residence in the Legan area of Co Longford.
When
The incident happened at around 5pm on 31 August 2023.
Other details
The victim is a man in his mid 70s and the suspect is a man; the suspect's nationality is not stated.
Investigation
A garda spokesperson confirmed an investigation into the incident was underway, and gardaí said investigations are ongoing.
8 statements extracted from the articles
  • whatA male impersonating a member of An Garda Síochána entered the home of an elderly male. (irishmirror.ie)
  • whatThe suspect told the victim he was doing a routine check on elderly people. (irishmirror.ie)
  • whatThe suspect is believed to have taken the victim's wallet after asking him to mark it. (irishmirror.ie)
  • whatA sum of cash was taken during the burglary. (irishmirror.ie)
  • whereThe burglary occurred at a residence in Legan, Co Longford. (irishmirror.ie)
  • whenThe incident happened at around 5pm. (irishmirror.ie)
  • investigationGardaí confirmed an investigation into the incident was underway. (irishmirror.ie)
  • investigationGardaí said investigations are ongoing. (irishmirror.ie)

The reporting

newest first
  1. 1 Sep2023
    Reportedirishmirror.ie, first report
    Manhunt for crafty 'fake Garda' who stole man's wallet in elaborate robbery

    First report of this burglary. Adds the fake-garda method, the victim's age, the wallet theft and the garda statement. No existing case matches this Legan incident.

    victim, mid 70s, malesuspect, male