Woman attacked in local park

A DUBLIN 15 care worker who was violently attacked by two drunken men in broad daylight as she made her way home through a local park has spoken out about her shocking experience.

The 52-year-old woman who wishes to remain anonymous was making her way home from work at around 4pm on November 7 and had taken a popular short cut through Tolka Valley Park.

Locals using the park have complained recently about anti-social behaviour and as the woman came towards a small bridge she noticed two men drinking on it.

“As I got close to them I noticed one of them was urinating on the centre of the bridge,

? the woman told Northside People.

The men noticed the woman approaching and began talking to each other in a foreign language and laughing as she got closer. Suddenly the man who was urinating turned around and exposed himself to her.

“I just said to him

‘you’re disgusting, you should be ashamed of yourself’ and that was it then, I was in trouble,

? the woman said.

“I had a backpack on and they grabbed it and pulled me back and got me to the ground. I got back onto my feet but they wouldn’t let me go past them.

?

The men began jostling the woman and wouldn’t let her go through the gate exiting the park. She managed to take out her phone and dialled 999.

“When I got through the gate they started to hit me because they were angry that I was talking to the guards and they were trying to take the phone off me.

?

The woman wouldn’t let go of the phone and the men pushed her back onto the ground and tried to hit her in the face with a two litre bottle of orange they were carrying.

“They could hear me talking to the guards. The guards were telling me to hold on and keep talking and that they were coming and would be here in five minutes. But no guard came.

“I was on 999 and they could hear them hitting me, kicking me and pushing me and nobody came.

?

The men eventually left the woman alone after she began screaming for help.

“They ran for their lives when I started screaming,

? she said.

“They’ve no respect for anybody. I’ll never go through that park again.

?

The woman was eventually contacted by gardai when she got home and was told they’d come and take a statement. However later that night they called again and asked her if she could come down to the station herself as they’d only one patrol car for the area and couldn’t get to her.

“I’d just got the stuffing knocked out of me and they wanted me to go down to them and make a statement,

? the woman said.

“I went down the following morning and made a statement.

?

The woman said she’s since been contacted by a Garda inspector who apologised and promised to look into the matter.

Local TD Patrick Nulty (Ind) described the attack as

“harrowing

? and said he believes Garda resources in Dublin 15 are at crisis point.

“I am absolutely disgusted that this could happen in broad daylight,

? he continued.

“The Garda must operate within the resources allocated to them by government so as far as I am concerned Fine Gael and Labour representatives who are around the cabinet table sanctioning these cuts need a reality check and to understand that their decisions to slash resources have serious consequences for people’s daily lives.

“I will be raising Garda resourcing issues with the Minister for Justice and demanding that he look outside his ivory tower in South Dublin and realise the strain being placed on our communities.

?

A Garda spokesman said gardaí in Blanchardstown were investigating the incident and were following a line of enquiry.

“No arrests have been made at this point,

? he said.

“We again wish to appeal to any witnesses who may have seen anything or is aware of anything in relation to this incident to contact Blanchardstown Garda Station on 01-6667000.

?