Gardaí investigating Beechfield complaint
‘A COMPLAINT HAS BEEN MADE IN RELATION TO ALLEGED THREATS, HARASSMENT AND INTIMIDATION’
GARDAÍ in Fermoy have confirmed they are investigating a complaint made by a member of the public in relation to alleged incidents believed to be relating to the ongoing situation at the Beechfield Estate in the town.
A Garda spokesman told The Corkman that an official complaint had been made to them this week in relation to alleged anti-social behaviour. “A complaint has been made by an individual in relation to alleged threats, harassment and intimidation,” a Garda spokesman confirmed. “We are investigating the complaint and are looking into the matter.”
The complaint has been made just days before Cork Circuit Court is due to reconvene to hear an application by Cork County Council for the removal of a caravan from a site within the Beechfield Estate.
Locals have complained that the contents of the caravan, which has been used to store rubbish, had been emptied onto an adjacent green area.
Jason O’Donoghue, Emma O’Driscoll and their three children had been living in the caravan for more than two years prior to moving into a larger mobile home that had been brought into the estate last month claiming that the smaller caravan was not suitable for their sick infant daughter.
This resulted in a stand-off with local residents.
On June 22 Cork County Council sought an injunction against Mr O’Donoghue and Ms O’Driscoll, preventing them from trespassing at Beechfield Estate and compelling them to remove their caravan, mobile home and other property from the green in the estate.
Cork Circuit Judge Brian O’Callaghan granted the injunction to remove the mobile home with 12-hours, after which the Council could do so “with or without the assistance of AN Garda Síochána”. The judge adjourned all other matters, including the issue of costs, until next Friday.
Within hours of the injunction being granted the mobile home was removed from the estate and placed on a road adjacent to the wall of the nearby Kilcrumper New Cemetery in Fermoy.
However, within recent days residents have complained that rubbish stored in the smaller caravan had been emptied on the green area in the Beechfield Estate, raising fears that the family were preparing to move back into it ahead of Friday’s court sitting.
Local county councillor Noel McCarthy described the atmosphere in the estate, where residents are still maintaining their on-street protests as being “very tense.”
“The residents want to see the smaller caravan and the rubbish removed and an end brought to this whole situation once and for all. There is no doubt that there has been some anti-social behaviour taking place in the vicinity of the estate within recent days and that is unfair on residents,” said Cllr McCarthy.
He said that lessons needed to be learned so that a situation like this “is never allowed to happen again.”
“If I would have any criticism of the Council it is that this has been allowed to fester for far too long and should have been addressed long before it developed into the situation we see today,” he said.
“I just hope now that Mr O’Donoghue and Ms O’Driscoll will accept the Council’s offer of emergency accommodation and work within the housing system to address their long term housing requirements.”