GARDAÍ in Balbriggan are investigating reports that a man exposed himself in front of a local woman in Skerries earlier this week.
The shocking incident occurred in the car park at Red Island, which is part of a popular walking route located near the ‘Springers’ sea bathing area. Worryingly, the car park overlooks a children’s playground.
Two women initially spotted the man acting suspiciously on Monday, March 7, at approximately 9.30am, as they went for their regular morning swim.
The following day, Tuesday, March 8, one of the women was parked next to the same individual, who was sitting in an old green van. It’s understood that the man opened the door of the van and exposed himself to the woman and committed a lewd act.
One of the women told Northside People: “We knew when we saw him on Monday that there was something not quite right about him. The way he swiveled his head around to stare at us didn’t seem normal. It was a cold morning so we got into the water for our swim quickly. We then noticed that he had followed us down to the bathing area.”
The man is described as being in his 40s, of tall, slim build, with short dark hair.
A Garda spokesperson confirmed they had received a report of the Skerries incident and would be investigating.
The sinister incident comes just weeks after local reports that a man exposed himself in front of a woman at North Beach in Rush. According to a post on a community Facebook page, a woman was sitting in her car in the beach car park when a man approached and stared in at her. He then walked away before exposing himself in full view of the frightened woman.
It is not clear if the Rush and Skerries incidents are related, although they are strikingly similar in nature. The local community has been rattled by the reported incidents, leading to renewed calls for the reopening of Rush Garda station. In addition, there is concern over the lack of patrol cars available to gardaí in Skerries.
Balbriggan is the only full-time Garda station operating in the area.