Gardai fear riot sparks

GARDAI were patrolling Dublin's Citywest last night again as officers released shock bodycam footage of trouble that flared there from the previous two evenings.

- BY MICHAEL O'TOOLE Crime and Defence Editor

Gardai released the footage, taken from officers' bodycams, in an effort to show the chaos of the scenes that unfolded in the aftermath of an alleged sexual assault at the grounds of the Citywest Hotel earlier this week.

And, as gardai braced themselves for another night of trouble at the IPAS site in south County Dublin, following the alleged sexual assault of a 10-year-old child there on Monday morning, the city's most senior officer appealed for people not to get involved in violence.

Garda Assistant Commissioner Cliona Richardson said people involved in rioting could ruin their lives for years to come.

"Think about your decisions, don't get swept up in something that you will regret later," she said.

She was speaking after a second night of violence erupted outside the Citywest IPAS facility in south west Dublin on Wednesday - trouble that has now seen 31 people arrested and 24 charged.

PRISON

Assistant Commissioner Richardson, who is in charge of policing the Dublin area, warned people intent on violence that they could end up doing serious prison time - like many people involved in the riots in the city in November 2023.

Almost 100 people have been arrested and charged over those riots - and some have been jailed for as long as five years.

Speaking at a press conference at Garda HQ in central Dublin yesterday, Ms Richardson appealed for people attending any protest at Citywest later that evening not to get involved in violence.

She said: "If you do come out with criminal intent and violent intent... we will deal with that matter appropriately."