A man has been apprehended and prosecuted by the Gardaí in relation to an alleged violent ruckus in Phoenix Park the previous Monday. This occurrence, brought to light in the Seanad by Fine Gael Senator Barry Ward, featured three presumed gay men who were reportedly stalked by a group of six males armed with knives. Mr Ward shared his interaction with one of the victims who expressed fear for his life whilst being chased.
Mr Ward recounted that while the victims managed to escape, the potential outcome, had they not been able to, is unthinkable. Following the violent occurrence, an anonymous tip-off saw Gardaí attending the scene at Phoenix Park.
An area-wide search was carried out following the incident, however nobody came forward to the Gardaí. After conducting further investigations, a potential suspect was identified, the Gardaí reported.
The suspect, a late teenager, was taken into custody on grounds of suspicion of an act that violates the Non-Fatal Offences Against the Persons Act, 1997 and is being held in a north Dublin Garda station. He has now been charged and is due for a court appearance tomorrow morning. The Gardaí have made it clear that inquiries are still underway.
An Garda Síochána stated it takes incidents motivated by hate seriously and guarantees professionally conducted investigations for all reported incidents. It has urged anyone with first-hand information of the Phoenix Park episode to reach out to An Garda Síochána either at the Cabra Garda station, the Diversity Unit at the Garda National Community Engagement Bureau, or via an advocacy group.
Addressing the Seanad, Mr Ward stated that the victims were told by the gardaí that there were no CCTV cameras and the mob could not be identified. He criticised this as being inadequate and voiced his appeal for Garda patrols in Phoenix Park.
According to An Garda Síochána, they have established communication with LGBTQIA+ advocacy groups post the incident.