Four men have appeared in court today charged with assaulting a lorry driver during a robbery in Limerick city last night.
The four - three brothers and a cousin, all of whom are in their 20's — were charged at Limerick District Court with assault under Section 3 of the Non-Fatal Offences Against the Person Act.
Gardaí told the court that further charges were likely to follow. They were remanded in custody with consent to bail to appear before the court again on September 10th.
The charges relate to the attempted hijacking of an articulated lorry carrying hundreds of thousands of euro worth of computer parts.
The lorry was stopped at a traffic light along the Dublin Road at around 7.30 p.m. when four men forced their way into the passenger side of the cab.
They ordered the driver to take them to the Island Field area of the city and punched and kicked him repeatedly along the route. However, the driver managed to grab the keys from the ignition and jump out of the lorry near the Abbey Bridge. The robbers tried to give chase but failed to catch the man.
Passersby alerted the gardaí and four suspects were arrested a short time later in the Merchant's Quay area of Limerick.
The driver was taken to Limerick Regional Hospital where he was treated for his injuries.