Cork teenager stabbed after refusing to give attacker €2 for bus
The brutal stabbing of a teenager in a Cork suburb is believed to have been sparked after he refused to give his attacker €2 for a bus fare.
There has been widespread condemnation of the attack on the boy at a housing estate in Carrigaline and further outrage that it was videoed and posted on social media.
The 17-year-old victim was stabbed a number of times as he lay helpless on the ground after first being punched and then slashed in the face with what's believed to have been a broken bottle.
The attacker ignored the pleas of a young woman who lay on top of the victim trying to protect him. He then proceeded to stab him a number of times in the lower back and sides to jeers and laughter.
The victim was attacked on Saturday night and underwent surgery at Cork University Hospital yesterday . He is believed to be making a recovery.
Gardaí who were on patrol nearby were on the scene very quickly and they called for backup. Several other units responded and a number of people were arrested at the scene.
One of them, a 17-year-old boy, was detained under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act, 1984 and is being questioned at Togher Garda Station.
Gardaí also pursued the 220 bus service which had left Carrigaline a few minutes after the attack. They intercepted the bus in Douglas Village where they removed a number of youths from the vehicle and arrested them. They have since been released without charge.
A TD who tried to get legislation passed to make it illegal for social media companies to post such incidents say he will pursue the matter again when the new government is formed.
Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire said he was “absolutely appalled” by the attack and said it shocked all right-minded people in Cork.
He said his thoughts were with the victim and his family and it was “very regrettable” that the video had been posted on social media.
Mr Ó Laoghaire called on people not to share it.
“I have long been an advocate of greater social media regulation. I put a bill forward three years ago (in the Dáil) which would have provided for a digital media commissioner. Unfortunately it got stuck in committee, but I will be pursuing it again in the new Dáil,” he said.
Mr Ó Laoghaire said social media companies shouldn't allow such videos to be posted on their sites.
“But it's also the responsibility of people not to view them. This must be very distressing to the young man's family. If it was your child how would you feel about a video like this being in circulation,” he said.
Meanwhile, Church of Ireland Bishop Paul Colton said he was also horrified by the attack.
“My thoughts and prayers are with the victim, with everyone traumatised by this incident and the whole Carrigaline community,” he said on Twitter.
Gardaí are appealing for any road users who may have camera footage (including dash-cam) who were travelling in the area at the time to make this footage available to them.
