Dublin People - Thugs almost kill teen in brick attack

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Thugs almost kill teen in brick attack

Wednesday, 16 July 2008

A YOUNG teenager narrowly escaped serious injury when she was hit with a missile that was thrown through the window of her Northside home.
The girl was hit on the neck with a brick which came through her sitting-room window at the beginning of the month.
It’s not the first time the Geraghty family, from Sillogue Gardens, has been targeted by thugs and they now say they have reached the end of their tether with the vicious attacks.
“There are three youths who are making our lives a misery,” Catherine Geraghty told Northside People.
“My daughter, who was sitting by the window on the Saturday night, got a smack of the brick across the neck.
“She was very badly bruised and shaken but very lucky not to have ended up with a cracked skull or something.”
Catherine added: “My daughter could have been holding her little baby at the time also. These kids have no idea of the damage they could cause through this anti-social behaviour.”
Catherine shares the house with her elderly mother, her disabled brother, teenage daughter Stephanie and her young grandchild. The family has lived in their Ballymun home for over 30 years.
The recent vicious attack is not the first such incident. In fact, the tormented family claim their windows have been put in a number of times over the past year.
“This has happened around seven times over the last 12 months,” Catherine explained.

“On another occasion my mother, who is 78-years-old, was sitting watching TV when the window came in on top of her.
“We have never done anything to anyone. I just don’t know why they can’t just leave us alone.”
According to Catherine the problems will continue as long as a throughway path close to her home is not closed off.
“There is a pathway between our house and our neighbours and we feel that perhaps these youths wouldn’t target our house so much if it was blocked,” she said.
“The council knows this and the gardai are aware of the problems, yet nobody is willing to help us.”
Catherine’s neighbour, Mary Hughes, also believes that the pathway should be closed off to tackle the anti-social behaviour in the area.
“I don’t suffer from the same problems as Catherine but I do think that the area could be a safer place if that pathway was closed off,” she explained.
Northside People is also aware of other homes in the area being targeted by brick-throwing yobs and a number of windows have been smashed.
Local councillor Dessie Ellis (SF) said he was aware of the frustrated Geraghty family’s situation.
“These youths have tended to pick on this family for a number of reasons,” he told Northside People.
“Their home is situated on the corner of a throughway, which often leaves residents vulnerable to anti-social behaviour.
“The family keep very much to themselves, they don’t bother anyone and this is just one of those unfortunate situations we see all too often.”
He added: “The people in the area know who is causing the problems. They are just too afraid to identify them.”
A Garda spokesperson confirmed that they were recently called out to the Geraghty’s home.
“We are investigating the incident and I can confirm that the gardai have been called to investigate a number of similar incidents at the home over the past year.”
A spokesperson for Dublin City Council was not in a position to comment on the issue.
“Catherine Geraghty is a tenant of the council's and it is not our policy to comment on individual cases,” it was stated.
“Where anti-social behaviour is evident the city council is pro-active in resolving such problems.”

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