Man (97), has wallet stolen in his home

A 97-year-old man had his wallet stolen in his home in south Dublin on Sunday afternoon by a group including a woman and children, who rifled through his pockets when he found them in his hallway.

The man, who is partially blind and hard of hearing, walked into the hall around 2.30 p.m. in the house on Avondale Crescent, Glenageary.

A woman and a number of children were standing in the hall and the man became confused. One of the children started checking through his pockets, gardai said. Gardai said there was no sign of forced entry into the house and it is believed they may have come in through an unlocked back door.

One of the group is believed to have opened the front door while another was searching through the old man's pockets. When the front door was opened a man walked in, with another young child, and pushed the elderly man up against the wall. He found the man's wallet in his trouser pocket, and took it.

Then he and the woman and children left the house. The wallet contained about £200. Gardai said the man, who lives alone, was dazed by the incident and did not tell his neighbours for more than an hour after his attackers had left.

He was very shaken by the robbery and approached two neighbours, who reported it to the Garda at around 4.00 p.m.

Gardai at Dalkey are handling the investigation.