Man arrested after van driven at garda causing serious injuries in Ardee last week
A MAN HAS been arrested in connection with an investigation into a van being driven at a garda
causing serious injuries
last week.
The incident occurred in the early hours of the morning of 2 May in Clonmore Estate in Ardee, Co Louth when gardaí approached a parked van.
Advertisement
The van is understood to have been driven at the gardaí, injuring one who had exited their patrol vehicle to investigate.
He sustained serious but non-life-threatening injuries and was transferred to Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda.
The arrested man, aged in his 40s, is currently detained at a garda station in the Eastern region, gardaí said. Gardaí are continuing to appeal for witnesses to come forward.
Mark O'Meara, President of the Garda Representative Association (GRA) described the incident last week as 'extremely serious and concerning'.
Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone...
A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article.
Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation.
Learn More
Support The Journal
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Journal
2 hours ago
- The Journal
OPW says it will make a report to gardaí after staff confronted by Castletown House protestors
THE OFFICE OF Public Works (OPW) said today that it will make a report to gardaí after claiming that several members of staff were confronted by protestors near Castletown House in Co Kildare this morning An OPW spokesperson said that shortly after 7am, contractors on site were 'verbally harassed' by members of the public, after a service vehicle accessed the Castletown estate via the contested Lime Avenue entrance. The OPW announced last week that essential contractors and supplier vehicles would begin using Lime Avenue, a 3.5-metre-wide predestrian pathway, daily from yesterday. The move is opposed by local public representatives and community groups, including the Save Castletown Gate Protectors. Protesters say Lime Avenue, which links Castletown House to Celbridge town, is not suitable for vehicles and would put vulnerable pedestrians at risk. The OPW attempted to begin sending service traffic down the path yesterday, sparking a peaceful confrontation with at least 30 locals at the gate, with gardaí in attendance , but in the end no vehicles entered via Lime Avenue. This morning's dispute in part centred on whether OPW service vehicles should be accompanied. The OPW had previously agreed that service vehicles would be escorted by a small diesel buggy driving slowly at 10km/hr to ensure the safety of people nearby. However, this morning a service vehicle entered Lime Avenue without this escort. Gardaí were called to the scene of the protest yesterday. Andrew Walsh / The Journal Andrew Walsh / The Journal / The Journal Save Castletown Gate Protectors said this was a breach of public trust and disregard for prior safety commitments. Advertisement 'This morning shows neither the OPW nor the minister can be trusted,' the group said. However, the OPW said the vehicle went in at 7am, which is an hour and a half before the Lime Avenue gate officially opens to the public. Therefore, 'there was no requirement for the vehicle to be accompanied', the OPW said. It is possible to gain entry to the estate near the gate, even when it's not open. An OPW-owned diesel buggy pictured on Lime Avenue yesterday. Andrew Walsh / The Journal Andrew Walsh / The Journal / The Journal The OPW added that it will not tolerate any 'harassment of staff or contractors' on its properties. 'The OPW respects the rights of the community to protest peacefully. However, all workers have a right to dignity and respect in their workplace,' the OPW said. 'It is not possible to maintain a house of national historic significance and an estate of 227 acres without essential vehicles. In order to open Castletown House and to open the estate from dawn to dusk, access for these vehicles and services is required,' it said. In a statement to The Journal , the gate protector group said that one of their members spoke to security at the house this morning, enquiring if he was aware that service vehicles needed to be escorted. 'There was a discussion, it certainly wasn't abuse,' the group said. 'Should the Gardaí feel the need to discuss this further with us, we are more than willing to do so,' they added. The OPW previously used an entrance close to the M4 for service vehicle access to Castletown House, though the privately-owned pathway was closed off in 2023. This has led to over 19 months of protests, as the OPW have scrambled for a new access route for service vehicles . Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal
The Journal
3 hours ago
- The Journal
‘Racist thuggery': How a peaceful vigil in Ballymena turned into anti-immigration violence
A PLANNED VIGIL to protest the alleged sexual assault of a young girl gathered in Ballymena in Co Antrim last night but it was soon 'hijacked' by 'racist thuggery'. That's the assessment from PSNI Assistant Chief Constable Ryan Henderson, who spoke to the media from Ballymena Police Station following last night's rioting. The vigil gathered at 7.30pm and an estimated crowd of between 3,000 and 4,000 people were present. Henderson said the vigil was 'initially peaceful' and confirmed that it had been organised following an alleged sexual assault on a teenage girl in the town on Saturday. On Sunday, two teenage boys were arrested in connection with the incident and later charged. They appeared before court yesterday and spoke through an interpreter in Romanian to confirm their names and ages. The family of the victim had put a call out for a peaceful protest and vigil to take place 'to show our anger at what cannot and will not be tolerated in this town.' The victim's father further said that 'not all people with different ethnicities' commit crimes, and invited people from other communities in Ballymena to attend the protest too. The father said: 'We don't want everyone getting blamed for this type of action.' However, Henderson said it was clear that some within the vigil had anti-immigration sentiment. 'Violence is no way of expressing your opinion and it should be called out from what it is, racist thuggery,' said Henderson. The Journal / YouTube While the vigil started off peaceful, Henderson said a number of masked individuals broke away from it and began to 'build barricades, stockpiling missiles and attacking properties in the area'. He said the violence that followed was 'clearly racially motivated and targeted at our minority ethnic community'. 'It was racist thuggery, pure and simple,' said Henderson, 'and any attempt to justify or explain it as something else is misplaced.' The crowd then turned on the police and attacked officers with petrol bombs and masonry – 15 officers were injured. This disorder was sustained for several hours and a number of homes and businesses were damaged, with windows and doors smashed. Four houses were damaged by fire, with three people evacuated. Six other homes were left with shattered windows and damage. The homes of people from the Roma Community were targeted and it's understood that those who had their homes destroyed are currently staying in a hotel in another location. Henderson remarked that there was 'some degree of planning' given that officers had petrol bombs and masonry thrown at them. He said he was 'absolutely convinced' that some in that group were 'clearly intent on violence from the start of the evening'. 'The fact that they have some weaponry ready to throw at police, would say to me that there was some degree of pre-planning from those involved,' he added. The Journal / YouTube And while Henderson said police had no prior intelligence on last night's violence, he added that 'there was a concern there might have been potential for what was intended to be a peaceful event to be hijacked'. 'That's why we had a policing operation in place last night, in anticipation that this could be a potential outcome,' he added. Advertisement 'A small number of those involved in the vigil decided to act in a violent way, and officers were there in numbers responding to that.' He said there were 'multiple seats of disorder and multiple instances of violence'. Henderson added that he 'cannot imagine the fear felt by those innocent families' and that he is aware that 'members of our minority ethnic community feel fear'. Image of the rioting last night in Ballymena Meanwhile, Henderson remarked that social media 'can be incredibly toxic' and urged people to 'exercise extreme caution about what they're posting on social media'. He added that 'anyone who tries to portray last night's violence as anything other than the racist thuggery that it was is misplaced'. Henderson meanwhile told reporters he is 'very aware about rising levels of race hate attacks within Northern Ireland'. He referenced anti-immigration rioting in Belfast last year and remarked that 'we are starting to see the criminal justice outcomes from that and people will start to be sentenced over the coming months'. 'We will not tolerate this sort of behaviour and will seek to bring people to court for the actions that are absolutely unacceptable in our society,' said Henderson. While Henderson said there is no specific intelligence about the likelihood of any other disorder across Northern Ireland, he said his role 'is to understand the implications that there might be'. He said he has mobilised a significant amount of policing resources in the days ahead, 'not just in Ballymena, but beyond, should we see any disorder elsewhere'. The Journal / YouTube He added that he has been 'reassured' that officers in England and Wales 'stand fast and ready to support us'. 'Should there be any additional needs, we'll make those requests, but I'm confident that we have the resourcing we need in place to keep people safe,' said Henderson. Elsewhere, emergency services were called to Tober Park nearby in Cullybackey last night, where a car was set alight. A Filipino mother and her children awoke to the sound of a blazing fire in their back garden – their car had been set alight, and the fire had spread to their shed. They fled immediately. Henderson said the PSNI is connecting that incident to the rioting in Ballymena and is treating it as a race hate incident. Local DUP councillor Tyler Hoey said he has spoken with the family today in Culleybackey but warned that the outcome could have been worse. 'We want the couple and their two children, who attend the local school, to know that we want them here, we don't condone this kind of violence, and police are working hard to get to the bottom of this,' he told The Journal. Meanwhile, Sinn Féin councillor Bréannainn Lyness said the peaceful protest in Ballymena had widespread support in the community, but what broke out was 'racist violence' which has been widely condemned. 'Ballymena does have a problem with sexual assaults towards young women, but the perpetrators have come from all backgrounds. 'What we had here was a group of people who scapegoated the Roma community, and used the protest as a cover for racism and abuse,' he said. 'The Roma community have been targeted here before, but it's always been on a smaller scale, they've had their windows smashed in. 'We don't know how these people will be able to return and live here after this violence, and the destruction of their homes,' Lyness added. Meanwhile, some 15 officers were injured last night in Ballymena and Henderson added that one arrest has been made, 'with more to follow'. He said the PSNI is actively working to identify those responsible and 'bring them to justice'. The PSNI has begun examining video and online footage of last night's rioting. He also urged those involved in last night's violence to 'reflect long and hard about their actions, as they will have consequences' and appealed for calm over the coming days. Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal
The Journal
8 hours ago
- The Journal
Police say several people dead after school shooting in Austria
SEVERAL PEOPLE HAVE been killed in a shooting at a school in Austria. The shooting happened at a secondary school in Dreierschützengasse in the city of Graz in the south east of the country. Police have confirmed that several people have been killed. Advertisement Austrian broadcaster ORF quoted the interior ministry as saying that the suspected attacker was among the fatalities. In an update on social media, police confirmed that they have secured the situation and that 'no further danger is expected'. They said the school has been evacuated and that those inside have been taken to a safe meeting point, with students being supported by a crisis intervention. They had earlier said that meeting point had been set up for parents at a nearby sports stadium. This is a breaking news story and will be updated. Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal
