logo
Man arrested after van driven at garda causing serious injuries in Ardee last week

Man arrested after van driven at garda causing serious injuries in Ardee last week

The Journal06-05-2025

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

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Man arrested after alleged knifepoint robbery at Dublin petrol station
Man arrested after alleged knifepoint robbery at Dublin petrol station

The Journal

time3 days ago

  • The Journal

Man arrested after alleged knifepoint robbery at Dublin petrol station

GARDAÍ HAVE ARRESTED a man in connection with a knifepoint robbery at a filling station in Dublin on Monday. A masked man, allegedly brandishing a knife, entered the petrol station in Ballybrack Village in Dublin at 5.30pm on Monday afternoon. He allegedly threatened staff and took a sum of cash before fleeing the scene. Gardaí leading an investigation into the incident have today arrested a male in the Shankill area of Dublin in connection with the event. Investigations remain ongoing at this time. Detectives from Shankill garda station have detained a man in the Dublin region under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act 1984. He can be kept in custody for up to 24 hours. Advertisement 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

Court escorts for prisoners at risk due to overcrowding, Irish prisons boss warns
Court escorts for prisoners at risk due to overcrowding, Irish prisons boss warns

The Journal

time3 days ago

  • The Journal

Court escorts for prisoners at risk due to overcrowding, Irish prisons boss warns

THERE IS A real risk that the Irish Prison Service will not be able to transport all prisoners for court hearings, as overcrowding is putting pressure on staff to meet their escort abilities. Director General of the Irish Prison Service Caron McCaffrey warned the Department of Justice in a letter last year that the system is at 'tipping point' in respect of its ability to carry out escorts to court and maintain safe staffing standards inside its facilities. Her letter told the Department: 'Current levels of overcrowding are exacerbated by resource constraints due to ever-increasing demands for escorts.' The Journal has previously reported that record-high levels of overcrowding inside Ireland's prisons are increasing the risk of violence , seeing incarcerated people sleeping on the floor and creating a difficult working environment for staff . Speaking to journalists last month, McCaffrey said she hopes that new ankle monitoring technology will assist the service in reducing the number of people in prison who are on remand, awaiting trial, which amounts to roughly 20% of the population. The short-term remedy is also being met with additional funding to increase the number of beds that can be made available in the existing system , the department of justice has previously said. In her letter, the head of the prison system said she had 'grave concerns' around the safety of staff and prisoners, because of dire overcrowding in jails. Concerns around the length of time court escorts take, and frequency of them, were highlighted by staff at a recent Prison Officer Association conference in Galway last month. Recruitment for the Prison Service Escort Corp, which transports officers and prisoners to court and other prisons, has been a particular issue in recent years as resources become stretched. Advertisement There were 4,960 prisoners in custody at the time of McCaffery's letter, in May 2024, in which she said the Irish prison system was 'not in a position to absorb the inevitable increase in committals safely'. Since then, the number of people in custody has risen to as high as 5,400. McCaffery said the appointment of additional judges has contributed to the increases in prisoner population and court escorts. 'Undoubtedly, a large element of the current overcrowding crisis is directly related to the appointment of additional judges,' the letter said. '[This led to] the scheduling of over 600 extra court sittings this year, decisions taken when our prisons were already overcapacity and not in a position to absorb the inevitable increase in committals safely.' McCaffrey's letter was addressed to one of the most senior officials in the Department of Justice, but has only now been released following an appeal to the Information Commissioner under Freedom of Information laws. Months before the letter was sent, The Journal reported how the Irish Prison Service was using temporary release measures, when people in custody are let out periodically under strict conditions, to alleviate the system from increased levels of overcrowding . The use of the temporary release scheme is approved on a case-by-case basis. It is understood that every suitable candidate for the measure in the system has already been approved. McCaffery told the department in May 2024 that she wanted an urgent decision on new rules around who could and could not be given temporary release. She wrote: 'In the absence of an urgent decision [on temporary release measures], I need to advise you that I now have grave concerns in relation to the ability of this service to ensure the safety of both those who work and live in our prisons.' She said there had been a sharp increase in temporary release to relieve pressure, but that all the main prisons were well above operational capacity. 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

Dublin school 'devastated' to lose children who were deported, principal says
Dublin school 'devastated' to lose children who were deported, principal says

The Journal

time4 days ago

  • The Journal

Dublin school 'devastated' to lose children who were deported, principal says

THE PRINCIPAL OF a school that was attended by two of the children who were deported to Nigeria last night has said that staff and pupils have been left 'devastated'. Five children and thirty adults were removed from Ireland on a chartered flight last night as part of the Department of Justice's new crackdown on enforcing immigration rules. Ciarán Cronin, the Principal of St James Primary school in Dublin 8 today told The Journal that two of the children who were removed from the state had been pupils at his school for three years, and have in that time become an integral part of the community there. 'They've been part of our football team, part of our school fabric, part of our school lives,' he said. Cronin said that the youngest child didn't speak when he arrived at the school for the first few months. 'Once he started to speak, when he was comfortable enough, he became the most beautiful young fella,' the Principal added. Families left feeling 'unsafe' The families of the children were removed from the Red Cow IPAS centre in Dublin. Cronin said that other pupils at his school witnessed their deportation and have been distressed by it. 'They are all wondering, will they be next? Their own feeling of self worth is just through the floor now,' he said. Cronin said that the atmosphere in the school now is 'As if someone has passed away.' 'That's amongst staff and children. We've had to explain to all the friends that their two friends won't be back, that unfortunately, they didn't get a chance to say goodbye, but that hopefully, when they settle back in, we'll be able to do a Whatsapp video call with them to say hello,' he added. Cronin said that the school has advocated for the children to the Minister of Justice and local politicians, and that St James has had 'no support' as a school in relation to dealing with the deportation of two of its students. At the Red Cow IPAS centre, a mother who is a resident there today told The Journal said that her children were 'in tears' on their way to school after witnessing their two friends being removed from the centre by gardaí. 'My daughter asked me, 'Can we got out of the hotel and look for another place before they deport us? What do we tell them?' she said. The woman added that she and her family no longer feel 'safe' at the centre. Gardaí were carrying out Ministerial order A garda source has told The Journal that the families of the two children 'were given a date and time and were ready to leave when gardaí arrived there'. Advertisement The source further said that all of the men who were due for deportation were picked up in advance, and were placed in custody for a number of weeks. They said that a decision was made to not pick up mothers and children in advance so as to 'limit the trauma'. They added that the deportees were offered financial assistance previously to leave the State voluntarily 'but did not avail of it'. 'The gardaí were then executing the order issued by the Minister for Justice,' the source said. Speaking on RTÉ News at One Justice Minister Jim O'Callaghan said that this is the third chartered flight in the lifetime of this Government. He said that deportations 'aren't a very pleasant part of the job,' adding, 'I'll be frank with you'. 'The first two came into Georgia, the last one went into Lagos, it went late last night and landed early this morning. There were 23 men on board, seven women, five children,' the Minister said. He added that in order to ensure Ireland's immigration system is 'rules based', it is important to ensure that people who have been served a deportation order who do not comply with it are met with 'a response and a consequence'. He said without deportations the system becomes 'meaningless', and it won't make a difference whether people are granted asylum or not. O'Callaghan said that deportation flights will now be 'fairly frequent and regular'. He said that the cost of the flight was €324,714. Speaking to The Journal today, the Minister for Children Norma Foley also said that immigration in Ireland needs to be 'rules based'. She went on to say that parents of children who are to be deported should consider leaving voluntarily, with an offer of assistance 'as an option'. 'It would be in the best interest of everyone if you would do that voluntarily, this measure of being compelled to leave, that's a measure of last resort,' Foley said. However, the Minister also said: 'I absolutely accept it's a really, really challenging space and very difficult'. With reporting from Niall O'Connor, Eoghan Dalton, Jane Matthews and Christina Finn. 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

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store