Three Irish men have been charged with more than 60 burglaries in Melbourne. Photo: HANDOUT/VICTORIA POLICE.
Three Irish men have appeared in court after allegedly stealing $1m (€612,000) worth of cash, jewellery and designer handbags during dozens of robberies across Melbourne, Australia.
Victoria Police will allege the men, aged 19, 24 and 25, carried out a spate of “sophisticated residential burglaries” in recent months.
The trio – named in court as Christie McDonagh, Michael McDonagh and James Connors – broke into homes in Melbourne’s east while residents were not at home and then tried to cover their tracks with cleaning products, police will allege.
They were arrested at a hotel near Melbourne Airport yesterday and charged with multiple counts of aggravated home invasion, aggravated burglary, burglary and theft.
The men appeared in Melbourne Magistrates Court today. They did not apply for bail and were remanded in custody until August 9, when their case will appear next.
Police allege they are part of a wider syndicate which led to the arrests of three other Irish men in March in Australia.
“Investigators are continuing to probe whether both groups are linked to any other unsolved burglaries,” a police spokesperson said.
Victoria Police have said the alleged gang are behind a spate of ‘fly-in, fly-out’ burglaries in Australia.
Investigations into both groups of men remain ongoing and anyone with information has been urged to come forward.
With reporting from Associated Press.
Today’s News in 90 seconds – 3rd May 2024