MIR ACLE OF ‘STRANGLED’ CHILDREN
Four children safe after quick-thinking hero grandfather raises alarm
A HERO grandfather saved the life of his grandchild by racing to the scene of an alleged assault of four siblings, who were in their father’s care.
His quick-thinking response, and raising of the alarm, after he became concerned for the safety of his grandchildren, meant no serious physical harm came to the two boys and two girls aged between three and 11.
Gardaí and emergency workers rushed to a house three miles south of Wicklow town on Friday night.
The children’s 35-year-old father Stephen Harnett was arrested yesterday and charged in connection with the incident at a special sitting of the district court late last night.
All four children were brought to Tallaght hospital but were discharged yesterday evening with the local parish priest saying they would be ‘physically’
fine. Reverend Donal Roche said last night: ‘They are physically going to be okay… they have been discharged.’
The incident began to unfold in Blainroe, near Wicklow town, on Friday night, when the children’s father visited his sister’s home nearby, where he met his own father.
It is understood after he spoke with his father, the grandfather feared for his grandchildren’s safety and raced to his son’s home.
There he found the four children
Children discharged from hospital
alive but with apparent strangulation injuries. The emergency services were immediately contacted.
It was reported last night that the grandfather made efforts to resuscitate one of the children, while emergency personnel rushed to the scene.
Gardaí and emergency service personnel responded very quickly and the children, who were understood to be conscious when leaving the house, were brought to hospital.
Two of the four children, who were in a more serious condition than their siblings, were airlifted to hospital by the coast guard air ambulance.
One of the four children was listed as being in a serious condition at Tallaght hospital in Dublin throughout yesterday, but they were all released from hospital yesterday evening.
Throughout yesterday Stephen Harnett was being questioned about the sequence of events at his bungalow home by gardaí.
He was examined by a doctor before being detained at Wicklow Garda Station.
Harnett, of Kilpoole Upper, Wicklow, was charged with four counts of assault causing harm just after 9pm last night. He made no reply to each of the charges.
His solicitor made no application for bail and asked that his client receive psychiatric evaluation and be medically assessed.
An application was made for legal aid which wasn’t opposed. Garda Neil Doyle gave evidence of Harnett’s arrest and charge.
He was remanded in custody to Cloverhill prison in Dublin until Thursday where he is set to appear at 10.30am. Judge Gerard Furlong said that he wanted Mr Harnett to receive the appropriate psychological and medical attention.
A family liaison officer has been appointed by gardaí.
According to neighbours, the first they became aware that something untoward had happened was when a convoy of Garda squad cars and unmarked vehicles drove past their houses about 7.30pm on Friday.
‘I knew there was something wrong. Then three ambulances arrived and people were taken out of the house and put into the ambulances.
‘Then a helicopter started flying low over the roofs of the houses here and there wasn’t enough room for it to land at the house, so it landed beside a house on the other side of the road.
‘It looked like two people were driven by ambulance to the helicopter, the ambulance was driven up to the side of the house and the people were put into the helicopter.’
Members of the Garda Technical Team spent several hours carrying out a detailed forensic examination of the house yesterday.