TWO TEENAGERS ASSAULTED IN BLACKROCK

There are calls for increased gardai in Blackrock following a number of incidents in the villge at the weekend in which teenagers were assaulted in separate incidents.

The mother of one of the victims said her 15-year-old son was ‘jumped on’ by a group of older teens as he walked through Blackrock Park at 6.45pm on Saturday evening.

‘He was walking with a girl and they were going to a friend’s house,’ she recounted. ‘ They came up behind him and hit him on the head. Then about fifteen of them punched and kicked him.’

She explains that her son sustained ‘a busted lip and bruises’ in the brutal attack.

She said she had spoken to the mother of another teenager who was also attacked near the park a short time after her son was attacked.

‘ This is very frightening and needs to be highlighted,’ she said.

‘We need more gardai on patrol in the village.’

A number of incidents in Blackrock at the weekend which included assaults on teenagers, shop lifting in a supermarket and the belting of passing cars with eggs have led to calls for extra gardai for the seaside village.

The mother of a 15-yearold boy who was assaulted as he took a short cut through Blackrock Park at 6.45pm on Saturday night has called for extra patrols in the village.

She said her son is ‘shook up’ after being jumped upon by a large group of older teenagers. ‘He’s got a busted lip and bruises.’

Another teenager who was assaulted a short time later ended up going to hospital for head injuries, she stated.

‘ This is very frightening and needs to be highlighted,’ she said. ‘ The village needs to be better policed - it’s getting a bad name.’

The local Tidy Towns Committee has been vocal in complaining about littering in the village as people congregated on the promenade while the pubs were closed during lockdown.

Gardai confirmed that the are investigating an assault on a teenager on Saturday evening.

A garda spokesperson in Dundalk Garda Stations said hey would encourage anyone who is a victim of crime to contact them and report the matter.

He added that they do patrol the park whenever numbers allow and would be viewing CCTV footage as part of their inquiries into the incidents at the weekend.

The need for more gardai for Blackrock Garda Station, which is currently without a Garda Sergeant, was raised at the most recent meeting of Dundalk Joint Policing Committee which decided to write to the Garda Commissioner calling for more resources.