TD punched by joyriders
Speaking after he was assaulted by joyriders on Sunday night after a confrontation in the Ballyfermot area of the city, Mr O’Snodaigh said he was returning home from the party’s Árd Fheis in the RDS when he was punched in the face after confronting joyriders.
“Concerned about the safety of not only my own children but also of the other kids on the road I challenged the occupants of one car to stop their activity but they sped off,” he said.
“I contacted the Gardaí to alert them to the presence of joyriders in the area.”
The Dublin South Central TD said he then approached the operator of an ice-cream van which was on the road at the time to warn him that up to four cars were being driven at speed around the area.
“It was while I was talking to this man that a second car came along,” he said. “The car stopped because they couldn’t get past the ice cream van. I approached the car to ask the occupants to stop because of the threat they posed to local children.
“It was then that one of the occupants got out of the car and punched me in the face.
Mr O’Snodaigh said joyriding was an ongoing and potentially lethal problem in the Ballyfermot area.
“I am still fearful that some young child is going to be tragically killed if we don’t tackle this issue.
“Everybody - the community and the gardaí - need to work together to bring an end to this scourge.”
