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Biker thugs in park rampage

Wednesday, 24 September 2008

A GROUP of schoolboy footballers were forced to flee in terror when a gang of biker hooligans sped through their pitch during a recent football training session.
The youngsters were forced to abandon the pitch when their playing ground at Corduff was turned into a dirt track by teenage thugs who raced each other around a course of obstacles.
The damage caused to the pitch during the incident, which occurred on Saturday, September 6, also resulted in the cancellation of at least seven matches that weekend.
Corduff FC official John McGuinness described the incident as an act of mindless vandalism.
“There were at least six motorbikes flying around and doing ‘donuts’ while I was trying to train a team of 11-year-olds and while an under-10s game was going on,” he told Northside People.
“We had no choice but to call off the session. It was very intimidating for the young kids and they were being put in danger. You never know what could have happened if one of the bikes had swerved out of control.
“Overall, 125 young children were affected by these six irresponsible bikers as our under-sevens, eights, nines, 10s, 12s and 13s were all due to play at home in Corduff that weekend.”
Mr McGuinness said he has reached the end of his tether with bikers using the pitches as their own personal playground.

“This has been going on for many months and the fields are being absolutely wrecked,” he said.
“It’s got to a stage where people are afraid to use the park for recreational purposes.
“The council has done everything it can to secure the park but these culprits are still managing to gain access to the pitches.”
Mr McGuinness is calling on the gardai to step in and enforce the law before someone is injured.
“On that particular day, a Garda car drove by on Blackcourt Road but they just sounded their siren once and kept driving,” he said.
“I don’t understand why the gardai don’t enforce the law and seize these bikes. It seems they’d rather focus their efforts on speed checks and dishing out penalty points.”
Local councillor Paul Donnelly (SF) said the heritage of Corduff Park is also falling victim to the thuggary.
“The Rath, also known as a fairy ring, is being badly damaged,” he said.
“It is one of two known Raths in Dublin 15. The other one is in the Millennium Park so it must be protected.
“This is an ongoing problem not just in Corduff but I’ve experienced something similar in Hartstown Park when five young people on motorbikes caused serious concern and fears for safety.
“I called the gardai several times and was absolutely shocked when they eventually came out to see them only talk to the youths. They didn’t even take even their names.”
According to Superintendent John Harnett, the gardai are doing their best to patrol the park.
“Obviously we can’t drive into the park with our patrol cars but we are patrolling the area on foot and on mountain bikes,” he told Northside People.
“We are taking the situation very seriously and our community gardai will work with officials from Corduff FC to try to find the best solution to the problem.”
A spokesperson for Fingal County Council confirmed that its parks department is currently carrying out an assessment of the entry points to the park to determine what measures can be introduced to prevent a re-occurrence of the incident on September 6.
“Corduff Park is a neighbourhood park and as such is not patrolled by park rangers,” the spokesperson said.
“It is not locked at night and access to the park is through a number of ‘kissing-gates’.
“Neighbourhood parks are designed and intended to provide a local amenity to the community in the immediate vicinity of the park.”
The spokesperson added: “Fingal County Council is liaising with the gardai in Blanchardstown in relation to this matter.”

» 2 Comments

2"Not bikers,just thugs"
at Saturday, 27 September 2008 12:30by niall

This is rampant all over Dublin , We have the same problem where we are but the Garda are very good and will seize the bikes .These youngsters are not BIKERS , they are only mindless fools and thugs that probably acquired the bikes from somebody else ( without their permission ) . These fools have no respect for anyone and anything . The garda have to come down hard on there fools before they hurt someone badly .

1Comment
at Wednesday, 24 September 2008 21:56by Mike

This is getting out of control. These thugs are destroying the fabric of our society.

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