Child tormentors
Disturbing videos emerge of young boys taunting elderly homeless man
SHOCKING footage of a group of young children and teenagers assaulting an elderly homeless Turkish man has gone viral on Facebook.
The incident – in which the children, wearing school uniforms, were urged on by an adult – happened on Tuesday afternoon, in an alleyway near Dunnes Stores, on Kieran Street in Kilkenny city.
Local resident David Murphy recorded two 90-second videos that show the children, some of whom appear to be drinking, taunting and terrorising the elderly man known locally as Johnny the Turk. In the first recording, one of the youngsters hands Johnny – who is holding a cardboard sign – a pizza box. When the man opens it he discovers that it is empty and his tormentor runs off laughing.
In the second clip, the adult hands his drink can to a young child who sneaks up and throws it at the homeless man. A clearly distraught Johnny then emerges from the alleyway still clutching his sign – and holding his face where the can struck him – and the group immediately run off.
Mr Murphy said: ‘I heard the ruckus before I saw it. A number of people approached the gang and told them to go away. They’d leave for a while but wait until there was nobody around and return and start again.
‘I’d say the youngest was about 12 – they were all wearing school uniforms. The lad who handed the child the can was definitely an adult who should have known better. They have little to be doing tormenting a helpless old man. They’d be better off kicking a football around the place.
‘They got a bit of a shock when the old boy jumped up and rushed at them. They weren’t long legging it then – they weren’t so brave when he was on his feet.’
When Mr Murphy posted the video later on Tuesday evening it spurred two local women into action.
Kitty Clowry and Sarah Fitzpatrick went down to the alleyway with food and clothing as soon as they became aware of what had happened.
Kitty said: ‘I was in the bed with my son watching Postman Pat on television to try and get him asleep when I saw it. I wanted to go and help him but I don’t drive. The next thing, Sarah messaged me and said she’d collect me to and bring me down.
‘I went to the fridge and made up a load of sandwiches for Johnny, got some blankets and a hoodie and gave it to him.
‘He has no English but he speaks French and I can get by in that, so I could understand how thankful he was for what we done. Another chap called Darren Hayes arrived down with a warm jacket and Johnny stood up and applauded him as he couldn’t say thank you in English.
‘He told us the same gang had been taunting him all day and that, when they handed him the pizza box, he was delighted as he thought he was being fed. But when he opened it and discovered it was empty he was in tears. How cruel is it to do that to a man who was starving?’ Incredibly, good Samaritan Kitty then became the victim of vicious online trolls criticising her for what she had done.
‘I couldn’t believe it; I started to get messages saying I was mean and that I could have bought him a meal. And others saying I was only doing it for the publicity – that really upset me.
‘Firstly, I couldn’t afford to buy him a meal and, secondly, the only reason I am speaking publicly now is to try and make sure the cops catch those who attacked Johnny.
‘From what I could make out by what he was saying, he has some way of getting back to Turkey and is hoping to do so this week. After what’s he’s experienced here I’d say he’s glad to be going.’
Kilkenny gardaí are investigating the assault.
‘One was about 12. They all wore school uniforms’ ‘He was in tears when he saw the pizza box empty’