Savage act is grim reminder of dangers of rural isolation

THE horrific murder of Paddy Lyons is a grim reminder of the vulnerability of elderly people living on their own in isolated areas.

Mr Lyons (90) was an easy target for burglars, including one thug who conned the pensioner into believing he was a garda and then stole some of his money.

It was well known he travelled 11km from his home at Ballysaggart into Lismore, Co Waterford, to collect his pension every Friday.

He lived in humble surroundings and, although he had good neighbours and friends locally, he often craved companionship and the opportunity to discuss the topics of the day, particularly politics, with a passer-by. As a result, he welcomed into his home several groups of people, whom he did not know well as they were not from the area but who had managed to build a relationship with him.

Gardaí have not yet identified a prime suspect but believe Mr Lyons knew his killer from previous visits and invited them, and possibly others, into his home. He was from a generation of rural dwellers who thought nothing of leaving the latch on the door.

It’s a world shattered in recent years by a wave of burglaries and robberies by crime gangs using the motorway network to escape back to their urban dens after a spate of crime in rural hideaways like Ballysaggart.

That outbreak has been brought under control since the launch of Operation Thor in November 2015 – an initiative that proved again that, given the proper manpower and resources, the gardaí can deal successfully with organised crime.

The circumstances surrounding Mr Lyon’s murder have not been fully established, so it cannot be said with certainty he was a victim of one of those gangs. But this savage act underlines again how vulnerable people like Paddy Lyons are and the need for small communities to look out for each other and work together with gardaí by reporting unusual activities.