Pipebomb severs boy’s seven fingers

A child’s hands were ripped apart yesterday after he picked up a pipebomb left outside the front door of his house.

The five-year-old boy had seven of his fingers blown off when the homemade device exploded as he touched it.

Four fingers on one hand and three fingers on the other were severed in the blast, which occurred in Newtownmountkennedy, Co Wicklow, just after 8am.

The boy — who was about to go on a sponsored cycle — also suffered apparent burn wounds to his wrist and arm as well as blast injuries to his face and head.

Surgeons at Crumlin Children’s Hospital, Dublin, were yesterday trying to save some of the fingers.

Gardaí are appealing to those responsible to come forward. “We are carrying out a full investigation. We want to get to the bottom of this very quickly,” said a Garda source.

The boy had put on his bicycle helmet and opened the front door of his house on Sycamore Drive just after 8am. He was about to fetch his bicycle when he saw something on the ground and went to pick it up.

“It was an improvised explosive device,” said a Garda source, “and it appears that as soon as he handled it, it went off in his hand and he suffered severe injuries.”

His mother was inside the house with a young baby when she heard the blast and roars from her son.

Gardaí are investigating a number of lines of inquiry to determine why a pipebomb was left at the house. One line being probed is that the bomb was left at the wrong house.

“This is a woman on her own with a five-and-a-half year-old-boy and another younger child.

“I can’t imagine they are targets,” said one garda.

There are disputes in the area between other families and a pipebomb was found in the estate last September.

Gardaí said there was nothing outside the house at 9pm on Tuesday, and are asking those who saw anything suspicious after that time to contact Bray Garda Station at 01 6665300.