Strabane man fights back against muggers in Spain

A STRABANE man who was the victim of an attempted mugging while on holiday, has spoken of fighting back against the would-be attackers.

Austin Callaghan (pictured), who has resided in Liverpool for many years, was walking alone on his first night in the Spanish resort of Salou when the assailants struck.

Fortunately, the former local only sustained a slight injury during the incident, which he admits, certainly shook him up but could have resulted in something more sinister.

Speaking to the Chronicle this week, Mr Callaghan said, “I flew over last Tuesday as a surprise for my kids, who had gone to Salou the previous day with their mum.

“It was around 11.30pm in the evening and I was walking towards my hotel minding my own business with a few beers in my rucksack to enjoy on the balcony.”

Mr Callaghan continued, “Out of the corner of my eye, I could see four guys approach me from different sides and, all of a sudden, one ran across me, clipping my ankles and I fell to the ground. I think their plan was, once I was on the ground, to set at me and mug me.”

Retaliation

Mr Callaghan continued, “I think I surprised them by springing up as quickly as I fell and I gave one a bit of a dig, which resulted in the whole four of them running off. I didn’t go after them in case these four were part of a larger group and things might have gotten a lot worse.”

Nursing a sore hand in the aftermath of the attack, Mr Callaghan merely carried on to his hotel without contacting the Spanish police to report what took place, although he admits that he kept a keen eye out for any potential repeat offending.

Nevertheless, Mr Callaghan resolved to put the incident behind him and resolved to enjoy the rest of his holiday with the family.

He concluded, “Other than the first night, it was a brilliant holiday in the sun with my partner and the kids. Just goes to show: You can’t keep a Strabane man down!”