Gran locks men in farmyard

A group of men discovered in a Nobber woman’s farmyard got more than they bargained for after the 64-year-old locked them in until gardai came and arrested them.
After discovering the car in her yard at Cregg, Nobber, Ann Curtis wasted no time as she closed and padlocked the iron gates, trapping the men inside.
The grandmother duped the men into thinking she was going to her house nearby to get the key to release them but she actually contacted gardai and members of her family.

On Tuesday evening, Mrs Curtis was returning home from her daughter’s house and met a car on her road travelling at speed, which jammed on the brakes and stopped at her gateway. The driver asked about a castle and she told them the only castle around there was Cabra Castle and gave them directions.

They went on their way and Mrs Curtis went into her home. Her grandchildren said it sounded like the car had gone into the yard and Mrs Curtis told them to stay inside and lock the doors and she went to investigate.
She saw a number of men and shouted at them, asking what were they doing.
One of the men shouted back at her telling her she had given them wrong directions.
The quick-thinking lady then reversed out of the yard as fast as she could, got out of her car and closed the iron gate to the yard and padlocked it.
“By the time I had the lock on, my legs were trembling. I didn’t even think that they might jump the gate. All these things only come into your head after,” she said.

“They used a lot of bad language and I told them to calm down. I said they shouldn’t be on my land stealing,” she added.
The men denied stealing and Mrs Curtis told them if they weren’t stealing, she would go and get the key from her house and they “fell for it”.
She quickly rang the gardai and family members.
Her daughter, Marie Stewart, was soon on the scene and parked her jeep in front of the yard gate. Within minutes, her son and daughter and a number of neighbours had arrived and had the yard surrounded.
When gardai, arrived a number of men were arrested.