Teen sets himself on fire

ONGOING anti-social behaviour in a Southside park came to a head recently when a young man managed to accidently set himself on fire.

Locals told how they rushed to the scene in the Clarinda Park area of Dún Laoghaire after the teen apparently set himself on fire while playing with lighter fluid.

One horrified resident, who witnessed the incident, said:

“We were walking through the park when we saw a group of about nine or 10 young lads messing around.

“We heard them daring one of their group to do something and the next minute there was a

‘whoosh’ and the lad went up in flames.

“We rushed over to where he was rolling around on the ground and his friends were just laughing.

“We gave out to them while this guy, who must have been in his teens, managed to put out the flames. He seemed to be okay, but it was a stupid and dangerous thing to do.

“It was born out of pure boredom and stupidity but it scared the life out of us.

?

According to a Fianna Fáil representative for Dún Laoghaire, James McCann, this was just the latest in a string of incidents in the park.

“I have spoken to a number of residents about this issue and it’s clear that it has been ongoing for some time,

? Mr McCann said.

“This needs to be tackled, as many residents are afraid to use the green area at night out of fear for their own safety.

“This cannot be tolerated.”

One other local that Mr McCann spoke to felt that the problem had escalated over the summer as the weather improved.

“Now there are groups of people outside until all hours, day and night,

? the local resident said.

“They are leaving empty bottles, cans and rubbish all over the park.

“On one Saturday morning I watched as a dad was kicking a ball around with his young son and the kid started screaming. He had landed on a piece of glass and cut himself badly.

“There are a lot of elderly tenants in my building and they are afraid to go out in the evening because of groups of louts hanging out at our gate,

? he added.

“It’s just getting worse.

?

Mr McCann said he raised the residents’ concerns directly with the gardai recently.

He requested that additional Garda resources be used to tackle the issue.

Writing in response, Garda Superintendent Martin Fitzgerald stated that anti-social behaviour would not be tolerated.

“All incidents reported to the gardai will be fully investigated,

? he said.

Superintendent Fitzgerald has also urged residents to contact Dún Laoghaire Garda Station about any anti-social behaviour, adding: “Timely reporting by residents is an essential element in addressing this issue.

?

The local Community Policing Unit has also been requested to pay regular attention to the area.

Meanwhile, the cost of damage to Deansgrange Library is being calculated after a group of teenagers managed to gain access to the roof with bikes and skateboards.

Mairead Owen, the County Librarian, told how the incident occurred on a recent Sunday at about 3.30pm in the afternoon.

“A number of teenagers mounted the library roof with bikes and skateboards and clearly enjoyed themselves,

? she said.

“The matter was brought to our attention by a member of the public.

“The gardai have been informed and the local Community Garda is being a great help.

“We are concerned about the safety of these young people but we are also considering the the damage to the roof, which is currently being costed.

?

Cllr Cormac Devlin (FF) said this was a very worrying and serious incident.

“The library just reopened in July and the cost of damage done by those involved to the extended roof is unknown but no doubt will be quite costly to the council,

? he said.

“They will now have to assess how to prevent other individuals from gaining access to the roof.

“Obviously this could have been a very serious accident for those individuals if they had fallen off the roof or worse, through the glass of the roof.

?

The gardaí are investigating the incident and anyone with information should contact Cabinteely Garda Station on 01-6665400.