Savage attack sparks crackdown calls for Cork gangs
Dozens of people watched in horror as a homeless man was beaten and kicked about the head on Winthrop St on Saturday afternoon in what one witness described as a “vicious and unprovoked” attack.
Two juveniles who were arrested for public order offences shortly afterwards have been released without charge. Files are being prepared for the DPP.
The victim, who is in his 30s, was still recovering from his injuries yesterday. He was attacked on the Oliver Plunkett St end of the street at around 4.30pm.
Witnesses said a gang of between 12 and 15 youths had been hanging around the area for some time before the attack. It is understood they may have been setting off bangers.
One woman said they were very intimidating, were throwing things, and shouting at people. Another woman said she did not feel it was safe to walk down the street and took another route.
A shop worker who saw the attack said she was “sickened and disgusted”.
“It was a carbon-copy of that assault on St Patrick’s Day in Dublin which went viral on YouTube,” she said.
“They kicked the man in the head, went away for a few seconds, and then came back. I think they would have attacked him again if it wasn’t for the people who came to help the poor man.”
Gardaí and an ambulance were on the scene quickly.
Sinn Féin councillor Thomas Gould, who was in the city with his wife and two young daughters, was near the GPO when he heard shouting, roaring, and laughing before seeing a group of teenager running towards St Patrick’s St.
“I didn’t think much about it until I went on to Winthrop St and saw the man with blood all over his face, blood on the ground, and people giving him first aid,” he said.
Mr Gould spoke to witnesses who described the savagery of the attack, and he said gardaí must respond urgently to the growing threat posed by roaming gangs.
“I was in the city for over three hours on Saturday and I didn’t see a single uniformed garda the entire time,” he said.
“The amount of gangs of teenagers in town was unbelievable. Most of them are very good. It’s good to have them in town — it creates a nice atmosphere.
“But there are some gangs going in to the city looking for fights, looking to create mayhem. I can understand how people would feel uneasy and unsafe.”
Mr Gould called for increased high-visibility garda foot and bike patrols in the city centre to act as a deterrent.
“Judges need to take a hard line on this kind of behaviour, too,” said Mr Gould. “A lot of these guys are being arrested and brought before the courts, only to be released. They are getting away with it, and getting braver and braver.”
Mr Gould said the problem must be tackled before the summer season. “People need to be safe going in to city centre,” he said.
Gardaí faced a similar problem in 2012 when some teenagers gathering in the city centre at weekends got involved in serious anti-social activity, with reports of organised fights being held in laneways off St Patrick’s St.
Traders complained that the gangs were damaging trade and the image of the city.
It prompted gardaí to write to the principals of the city’s second-level schools asking them to warn their students to comply with garda instructions.
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