Star’s grandfather dies after break-in

PADDY BARRY, the 82-year-old grandfather of magician Keith Barry, died almost a week after he was found unconscious following a break-in at his Waterford home.

The case received widespread publicity when Keith Barry condemned what he described as an assault on his elderly grandfather.

However, gardaí have confirmed the elderly man’s head injury may have occurred due to a fall rather than as a direct result of an attack.

The Barry family paid tribute to Mr Barry in a statement released shortly after he passed away at 5.30am at Waterford Regional Hospital; “He was a wonderful man — a great father, an amazing grandfather, a doting great grandfather and he will be missed by not only his family but his neighbours and community,”

One man was questioned by detectives in Waterford following the incident. He was released last Thursday and a file is being prepared for the Director of Public Prosecutions.

Keith Barry had criticised the Irish criminal justice system in a number of media interviews at the weekend.

Believing his grandfather had been the victim of a vicious assault he called on the Department of Justice to introduce tougher laws to punish those who target older people. He said other elderly people living in the usually quiet Mount Sion area of Waterford were petrified following the attack.

His call for tougher legalisation to defend homeowners was backed by Fine Gael justice spokesman Charles Flanagan.

Age Action extended its condolences to Mr Barry’s family and said he was a victim of “one of the most callous, cold-hearted forms of crime”.

The Irish Senior Citizens Parliament also expressed its deepest condolences to the Barry family.

The organisation stated: “The majority of older people wish to retain their independence and remain in their own homes for as long as possible, therefore it is essential that as a society we adopt a whole community approach to ensuring the safety of our older citizens.”

Garda Commissioner Fachtna Murphy said he had been saddened to hear the news, speaking at the national ploughing championships in Athy, Co Kildare, where he launched the Garda Community Safety Week. He said the gardaí were investigating the crime but he wants the public’s help in solving it.