Violent assaults spike in Cork city leaving one dead and four critically injured in recent weeks

Violent assaults spiked in Cork city in recent weeks, with one death and four men critically injured.

Superintendent for serious crime in Cork city, Michael Comyns said:

“Over a very short period of time there have been a number of violent assaults.

There are assaults every week but the results are not usually this serious.

He said the spike in violence “has to be triggered by what people are taking – the amount of alcohol and other substances”.

Paul Jones, 55, was killed during a suspected break-in at his home on Bandon Road on September 4.

Two people, including the victim's sister were remanded in custody on trespass-related charges.

A 40-year-old man has been on life support in hospital since a vicious attack on Patrick St in the city centre on the night of September, 12.

The man, who is from Cork but was homeless at the time of the attack, has suffered serious brain damage and gardai are appealing for anyone with information to come forward.

On that same night, a student suffered a bleed to the brain after being punched on Grand Parade.

Another student was also assaulted on Washington St last month and may now lose sight in one eye.

A pensioner was violently mugged by a gang of young males and females on September 14 after visiting his wife's grave, suffering a damaged eye socket in the attack.

Arrests have been made in all of these cases, apart from the assault on the homeless man, whose attacker still remains at large.

A 17-year-old was also attacked in Rochestown on September 14, sustaining a number of injuries to his nose and chest.

Statistics published last week by the Central Statistics Office show that the number of assaults causing harm in Cork city rose from 94 in March to 101 in June.

While drug offences dropped in Cork city, there was a 16.5% increase in drug offences nationally.

Supt Comyns said that although gardai seize cannabis, cocaine and heroin every week in the city, "where there's demand, the supply will come".

"Cocaine fuels violent criminality and there's been a huge increase in its use," he said.

Cocaine, typically an expensive drug, is now widely available, he said.

Cocaine use dropped with the economic recession but use of the drug has increased again to Celtic Tiger levels.

"People should take responsibility for their own actions and the way they behave after taking cocaine," he said.

"If you become violent it is only going to end badly."