Get tough on vandals who damage lifesaving equipment, courts urged

A man whose life was saved thanks to a publicly accessible defibrillator is urging the courts to come down hard on vandals who damage lifesaving equipment.

Heart attack survivor, Nigel O’Sullivan, was speaking as the net closes on a youth who damaged one of the devices in Mallow, Co Cork, over the weekend: “I was saved because a defibrillator was available. If it wasn’t available, I wouldn’t be here — it’s as simple as that. Vandalism to lifesaving equipment like this put lives at risk.”

There was outrage in the town after Mallow Search and Rescue (MSAR) posted CCTV footage of the incident just outside their base on their Facebook page.