DOWN THE YEARS

Memories from days gone by

Third tragedy in three years August 1992

THE third drowning tragedy in just three years at a well-known Wicklow beauty spot brought sorrow to the area once more this week.

Four young lives were lost in the boating accident which occurred on Blessington Lake after a bank holiday weekend outing went horribly wrong. The victims, aged between 18 and 21 and all good friends from Santry and Coolock in Dublin, were camping on the shore when they took a lightweight dinghy out on the lake sometime between nightfall on Sunday and early Monday morning. Squally weather had made the conditions dangerous and after a day-long search the boat was spotted upturned on the far side of the lake.

The first two bodies were discovered shortly after 5 p.m. on Tuesday afternoon by the Garda sub-aqua squad, assisted by local civil defence and mountain rescue teams on the shore. The search resumed on Wednesday and shortly after 1 p.m. and another body was recovered.

Baltyboys Youth Hostel, which overlooks the site where the boat was taken from, had the role of communications nerve centre as national media arrived on the shores of the lake to cover the tragedy. The alarm was raised on Monday after it was noticed that the dingy was missing. At first it was feared stolen.

ESB patrols began questioning nearby campers about the missing boat. They also found an abandoned tent about half a mile from the moorings and linked the two disappearances. Fears that an accident had occurred grew once the upturned boat was discovered on the opposite side of the lake.

Cowardly assault August 1992

A defenceless 83-year-old man was the victim of a cowardly attack which netted his assailants a paltry £25 at his isolated west Wicklow home last weekend.

The elderly man, who walks with the aid of a stick, was roughed up by three men who entered his house and demanded money during broad daylight last Saturday.

He was alerted to the intruders by the sound of his dog barking at 2.40 p.m. in the afternoon and went to the front door, where he was confronted by three men, two of whom are thought to have been in their twenties and the other man in his fifties.

The gang pushed the victim back inside the house and demanded money from him, knocking him to the ground when he refused to hand over anything of value.

In the course of the attack, the men searched their victim’s pockets and burnt his walking stick in a kitchen fire before ransacking his house. They made off a short time later with £25 in cash and one or two personal items. The same gang were also spotted that same day at other locations in Blessington. They appeared to have made their getaway in a car bearing English registration plates.

Stolen guns found August 2008

TWO guns which may have been involved in criminal activity were found concealed in a ditch on the busy Charvey Lane in Rathnew, an area occupied by housing and industrial estates.

The rifle and pump action shotgun have been sent on to the ballistics department at Garda Headquarters in Dublin to see if any further information can be ascertained. The discovery has caused shockwaves in the local community, as Charvey Lane is a busy area, often frequented by playing children who live in the nearby housing estate.

A surveillance operation involving both Wicklow and Bray gardaí led to the recovery of the weapons last Thursday. They were carefully packaged in plastic so as not to fall foul of the elements and then carefully placed and concealed in a ditch. Ammunition for both weapons was also discovered at the scene.

The weapons have already been traced back to a robbery in Gorey, County Wexford, in September of last year when they were both stolen from a private residence.

At the moment the gardaí can’t say if the weapons have been discharged since their disappearance. ‘We don’t have a definite line of inquiry just yet but our investigation is continuing,’ said a garda spokesperson.

Mother and son in violent fracas August 2008

WICKLOW Gardaí had to call for assistance from Bray, Arklow and Greystones over the weekend after a row on the street threatened to spiral out of control.

A mother and son were refused permission to enter a local premises and took grave exception to the refusal. Their furious reaction led to an outbreak of public disorder on Marlton Road in the early hours of Saturday morning. With their resources already spread thin, the Wicklow station had to call for back-up after bystanders started getting involved. A number of revellers still out from Friday night refused to leave the scene despite orders to do so from the gardaí.

Eventually the mother and son were arrested but still continued to behave violently back at Wicklow Garda Station. A couple of officers received minor injuries after being assaulted as they attempted to make arrests. The back-up call was a precautionary measure and proved to be the right response as a large crowd started gathering as the incident unfolded. Now the Wicklow gardaí have warned people they face arrest if they refuse to comply with the directions of an officer.

‘When the gardaí are carrying out an arrest in a volatile situation then anyone interfering is making an offence. If people are directed to leave the scene and refuse to do so then they are liable for arrest as well,’ said a garda spokesperson.

Knifep oint robbery suspect arrested August 1998

GARDAÍ have arrested a suspect following two robberies on successive nights in which young teenage girls were held up at knifepoint.

In the first incident at 6.30 p.m. last Thursday, two local girls aged 14 and 15 were walking along Strand Road when they were confronted and threatened by two females.

They fled and found sanctuary in a nearby pub, from which they emerged some time later when they felt it was safe for them to do so, gardaí said.

But while walking along Quinsboro Road, they were again met by the two females, one of whom on this occasion produced a knife with which they threatened their victims. They demanded valuables from their victims who handed over a ring and a shirt which they had purchased earlier in the day, to a total value of £111.

The robbers then fled the scene, leaving their victims uninjured but very shaken, according to gardaí.

In a second incident the following afternoon, Friday last, two more teenage girls were also threatened during a similar incident.

On this occasion the victims, again aged 14 and 15, were walking in Herbert Park at about 1 p.m. when they were faced by two females, who robbed them of a small amount of cash after holding them up at knifepoint. Again the victims were uninjured but shaken by their ordeal. A senior officer said a 14-year-old female was arrested over the weekend and detained for questioning in relation to the matter before being released.

Teenage drink sprees August 1997

TEENAGE tipplers are being targeted in a garda clampdown on teenage drinking in Wicklow town. Officers caught and cautioned 36 youngsters aged 15 to 17 at outdoor drinking spots along the sea front and the Murrough areas over the last three weekends. They say they will keep the pressure on until they have made all the traditional blackspots no-go areas for the young boozers and the drink parties they attend.

They also plan to put the squeeze on legitimate drinkers who help teenagers beat the law by duping publicans and buying drink on behalf of people under-age.

The gardaí will use information collected from youngsters who were all quizzed on the source of the alcohol they were caught drinking. The youngsters will not get off lightly either. During the last three weekend purges, officers simply recorded names and addresses and issued cautions but they warn that being caught a second time would result in prosecution.