RARE 1916 COPY HIT BY GRAFFITI VANDAL
Proclamation defaced in Leinster House but teen won’t be charged
THE teenager who broke into Leinster House targeted a rare copy of the 1916 proclamation.
The Irish Daily Mirror has established that the 16-year-old wrote graffiti on a framed original proclamation, which is in the main entrance foyer.
The proclamation was signed by former President Sean T O’kelly – who took part in the 1916 rising at the GPO in Dublin’s O’connell Street.
Sources have told us the teenager – who gardai believe accessed the parliament on Saturday by jumping over a wall from the adjoining National Gallery of Ireland on Merrion Square – took the proclamation off the wall and wrote graffiti on the back of it. We have also established that the teen removed the Irish and EU flags from their housings nearby, but did not damage them.
Sources also stressed that the teen did not gain access to the Dail chamber or the Seanad and was quickly arrested by gardai on Saturday afternoon.
He was then brought to Pearse Street Garda station and was questioned for several hours before being released without charge. The suspect is now unlikely to face any prosecution for the break-in because he is a minor.
Instead, he is likely to be dealt with under the Youth Diversion Programme — which is an alternative to prosecution. Admittance is not automatic, but sources said gardai believed he would be admitted to the programme. A garda spokesman said yesterday: “The male juvenile teenager has been released without charge and a file is being prepared for the Garda Youth Diversion Programme.”
Several TDS yesterday spoke of their alarm at the break in. Social Democrat TD Jennifer Whitmore described the intrusion as “worrying”, adding that “it’s important that security is examined and any gaps are identified and rectified quickly”.
And Fine Gael TD Alan Farrell called for a review of security following the incident.