Concern in Mahon as stones thrown from footbridge smash car windscreens

MULTIPLE cars in the Mahon area have had their windscreens smashed after a crowd of youths targeted cars by throwing stones from the footbridge on the N40 South Ring Road.

Sinn Féin local area representative for Mahon and former Lord Mayor Chris O’Leary confirmed that it was a problem, saying that similar issues had occurred elsewhere in Mahon.

He told The Echo: “A number of people on the main Skehard Rd were battered with stones and eggs, and I am aware complaints were made locally around the footbridge that goes over the main South Ring Road, that similar activities were taking place as well.”

When asked if the area had a history of such issues, O’Leary replied: “Intermittently around Halloween we had incidents, but nothing in the last number of years as serious as this.”

He confirmed that damage has been done to cars, adding: “A number of parents had children in the car with them, coming back from their kid’s play or clubs training, it’s a busy time as people use the roads to access Mahon Point.

“It’s not fun — it’s dangerous”, O’Leary said, explaining that a car could swerve or break to avoid a rock and cause a collision with another car or cars.

'HUGE CONSEQUENCES'

He continued: “Parents need to talk to their youngsters to make them aware that such activity has huge consequences.

“Fatalities could be the outcome of the actions, especially at the festive time — we’d like to think everybody would be able to sit at the table for Christmas dinner together.

“If this is what they think is fun, they should know it’s actually quite lethal. It has huge consequences to the safety of everybody who’s a road user — parents depend on being able to drive their cars without having such activities impeding their safety and the safety of others.

“I am calling on parents to make sure their children aren’t involved in such activities, the last thing they want coming up to Christmas is a serious accident, and gardaí coming to their homes to interview them and their children.

He explained that some of those involved are using slingshots and laser beams to point towards their targets.

“Such items are not legal,” he said. “They are high-powered kill traps, and there have been reports of young people using them on animals and birds. Parents should be aware of the dangers of such types of equipment. Some might think it’s only a child using it to play, but this is not talking about the wishbone of a tree and an elastic band — they are high-powered and parents at this time of year should restrain from buying and purchasing them.”

A Garda spokesperson told The Echo that they attended the Estuary Drive area of Mahon on December 19 in relation to an incident but “no offences were disclosed to An Garda Síochána upon arrival in the area”.

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire, a Sinn Féin TD for Cork South Central, condemned the behaviour of those involved in the stone-throwing.

“It’s highly dangerous, and those involved in it have to think about the consequences of their actions,” he said.

“Gardaí are aware of this situation and are addressing it to the best of their ability”.