Wanted criminals tried to force Kilkenny pensioner to pay them €10,000 for cleaning gutters

TWO “well-known” criminals were arrested in Kilkenny city today after they tried to force an elderly woman into handing over €10,000 just for cleaning out the gutters of her home.

The arrests are a significant coup for Kilkenny gardai, as the pair had been wanted nationally in connection with a spate of similar crimes.

A local Garda source told KilkennyNow.ie the elderly victim, who is in her 80s, had agreed to let the men carry out some work on her home, cleaning out gutters.

But once they completed the work the conmen demanded the terrified women pay them up to €10,000 for the work they carried out.

It is understood the two men accompanied the elderly women into the city-centre in a bid to coerce her into withdrawing the cash from a bank.

However, plain clothes gardai on bicycles saw the pair acting suspiciously in the High Street/Parliament Street area of the city.

They followed the suspects, who were subsequently arrested and taken to Kilkenny Garda Station, where they remain in custody tonight.