Daylight robbery

17-year-old Spanish student attacked and robbed in Gorey Town Park

A MAN IN HIS mid-twenties was arrested on Saturday evening after a 17-year-old Spanish student was mugged and punched in the face in Gorey Town Park.

The visiting teenager was walking through the park with a teenage Spanish friend when they were approached by a man who asked for a cigarette. When this wasn’t available, the assailant grabbed the victim’s backpack, rifled through it, and stole €10.

He also tried to grab the young man’s phone, and when he resisted, he was punched in the face.

Gorey gardaí were quickly on the scene, and in a follow up operation, they arrested a suspect in the park.

Wexford County Council said that hundreds of people use the park daily and encouraged people to report any anti-social behaviour to gardaí.

GOREY gardaí arrested a man in his mid-twenties on Saturday evening, after a Spanish student was mugged while walking through Gorey Town Park.

The 17-year-old was walking through the park at around 6 p.m. with a friend, also a 17-year-old student from Spain, when they were approached by a man who asked them for a cigarette.

When the teenager told him he had none, the assailant grabbed his backpack and began rifling through it. He stole €10, and then tried to grab the victim’s phone.

When the distressed teen resisted, he was punched in the face by the attacker who then fled the area.

Gorey gardaí were contacted immediately, and were on the scene within minutes. They were given a description of the attacker by the victim and his friend.

In a follow-up operation, they arrested a suspect, aged in his mid-twenties, elsewhere in the park.

He was taken to Gorey Garda Station for questioning and later released without charge. A file is being prepared for the Director of Public Prosecutions.

Gorey Town Park is popular with walkers and this is the most serious incident to have happened there in quite some time.

When contacted for comment about the incident, Gorey District manager Amanda Byrne said the Council had not been informed of any incident having taken place so she could not comment.

‘Gorey Town Park is a busy well-used space close to Gorey Main Street,’ she said. ‘It hosts weekly activities such as Park Run and many large scale public events throughout the year.’

‘Hundreds of people use the park on a daily basis,’ she added.

‘It is regrettable that anti-social behaviour of any kind would occur in the park or indeed the wider town area,’ she continued. ‘Wexford County Council advises members of the public to report all such incidents or indeed any suspicious behaviour to the gardaí immediately.’

‘The Council and Gorey gardaí work closely to maintain a safe welcoming town,’ she concluded.