Meeting told young men beaten 'to a pulp' in unprovoked attacks in Portlaoise

Separate unprovoked attacks left two young men beaten ‘to a pulp’ in Portlaoise, a meeting was told. 

Sinn Fein Cllr Caroline Dwane Stanley said the incidents had occurred at night in Portlaoise and both men required ambulances. Both incidents took place in the last three months, she said. 

“The night time social element, young men in particular, I know of two cases in particular were severely beaten. Unprovoked, completely unprovoked attacks.  I know one case never reported to An Garda Siochana. They just wouldn’t. They were beat to a pulp. Absolutely to a pulp,” Cllr Dwane Stanley told the latest Joint Policing Committee Meeting.    

“These serious beatings that these two young people suffered and were left in a dreadful state. We all know what’s going on around the country in recent times with the serious issues happening,” she said.  

Last weekend an intoxicated machete wielding man was running around Portlaoise town centre, she added. 

“Just this weekend we had somebody who seemed completely and utterly off their face, running around the Top Square with a machete in their hands,” she said.  

Cllr Dwane Stanley said the Gardai were “very much on the ball” in relation to the incident.

“This individual ran past the Top Square. I have been contacted by several members in the town on the weekend. He headed for the Mountmellick Road down past the old Post Office with a machete in his hand,” said Cllr Dwane Stanley. 

“I don’t know is it just now and again, these incidents, but they are very, very serious,” she said.  

“I hope this fella at the weekend, on Saturday night, was apprehended because I do know there was a serious attempt by the gardai to try and apprehend this person. They got cooperation from the public,” Cllr Dwane Stanley said. 

She explained that members of the public were alerting Gardai to the whereabouts of the man. 

“He is not a local fella by the way,” she added.  

She accepted that the  Chief Superintendent mightn’t be able to talk about specific incidents but asked that something be done. 

Cllr Aisling Moran also expressed concern about knives, machetes and swords. 

“I brought it up nearly every year since I became a councillor, where we have people in housing estates with machetes and huge swords basically, standing and intimidating everybody in the estate,” she said. 

“It is happening now in every town,” she added. 

Chief Superintendent Anthony Lonergan said he would like to encourage people to report crimes to Gardai and he asked witnesses to come forward.

Speaking in general terms he said policing and enforcement alone will not solve the problems. 

“From an overall perspective and I am not referring to any of the incidents mentioned, what I would encourage a multi-agency,  multi-stakeholder approach to community safety,” he said. 

“Prevention led safety should be our first priority, and certainly we will play our role in that, but it requires a multi-stakeholder response and over the next period of time and number of years I am in Laois as the Chief Superintendent, that will be something I will be focusing on,” he remarked. 

Chief Supt Lonergan said community safety will be a first priority. He said while he wouldn’t discuss individual cases, he would enquire about the specific issues raised at the Joint Policing Committee Meeting. 

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Chief Supt Lonergan had earlier been welcomed to the meeting by council members and public representatives at the meeting.