News from Ireland - news from around the 32 counties

Donegal

As fears grow over the future of the Garda Drugs unit in Donegal, local campaigner, P.J. Blake has cited the drug related deaths of sixteen young people in the county in the last decade and a half.

Claiming that families were still “suffering and grieving” over their respective losses, he maintained: “I’ve been at some of these funerals and I’ve seen the grief of these poor people. I’ve also seen the crocodile tears shed by some other people at these funerals. A week later these scum are out selling the drugs on the streets again - that’s how much they care.”

The Letterkenny based anti-drugs activist has written to local public representatives within the past couple of weeks calling for their support against the feared downgrading of the drugs unit in the county. “Sadly the demand is there and our young people are suffering.

“There are sixteen of our young people dead as a result of this scourge,” Mr. Blake told the Dail and Senate representatives.

Recalling the stance of T.D. Luke ‘Ming’ Flanagan, who has gone on record proposing the legalisation of cannabis and admitted to consuming the drug, he added: “He said he was giving it up in concern for his children but where’s his concern for other young people?”

On the confirmed closures of Garda Stations in Dunkineely and Culdaff, Mr. Blake said many stations were already shut in effect throughout the county.

“We’re a border county and it’s blatantly obvious that gangs are targeting border areas. But these gangs will be very encouraged to hear that more and more Garda Stations are being closed down in Donegal.

“These cuts are eating into resources. Even some of the vehicles the Gardai are driving around in are in atrocious condition. Where are all these cutbacks going to end? Everything will eventually be centred in the station in Letterkenny but if you ring the station about some problem or other they want to know more about you than the problem.”
(Source: Donegal Democrat)

Down

A couple accused of attempted murder were acting at the behest of a 'shadowy figure', Newry Magistrates Court was told on Thursday.
Darren James Burns and Deborah Maria Heslip, both of Damolly Village, Newry, are charged with two counts of attempted murder each. The couple entered bail applications to the court, both of which were objected to by police.


Looking close to tears, 21-year-old Heslip shook her head and mouthed the word 'f**k' to friends in the public gallery after entering the dock alongside her 24-year-old boyfriend.


The pair then held hands as the court heard that the charges against them stem from February 16, when police were tasked to the Glen area of Newry regarding a report of a vehicle on fire.
When they arrived at around 11.30pm Fire Service was tackling a blaze at a house and a car. A window of the house had been smashed with a paint bomb and a petrol bomb had been lit at its front door and in the car. 
A woman and her three-year-old child who were in the house escaped physical injury but were so traumatized they have since left the country.


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Nster.com