Cork people are afraid to walk the streets of the city at weekends following two vicious attacks which left young men on life support machines, said a Labour Party councillor.
The Cork Institute of Technology student, from Pallasgreen in Limerick, Mr Dennis Franklin, was found unconscious by gardaí at Kifts Lane off Grand Parade in the city shortly after 2 a.m. yesterday. He incurred severe head injuries after a row broke out among a number of youths in South Main Street at 1 a.m. The argument moved up to Grand Parade. The attack on Mr Franklin is believed to have been unprovoked. He is on a life support machine at Cork University Hospital. Family members travelled from Limerick yesterday to be at his bedside.
A friend who was with him at the time of the assault was treated for shock. The scene of the attack was preserved for technical examination.
The assault occurred just yards from where 27-year-old Cork man, Mr Christian Scully, was attacked by two youths on January 28th. Mr Scully suffered skull injuries after being kicked and punched in the head in an unprovoked assault at Sober Lane.His condition is described as critical.
A Chinese student was also set upon by attackers in the city last week as he walked along the Lower Glanmire Road. He was knocked to the ground and his wallet, credit card and cash stolen.
Cllr Kathleen Lynch said there was an urgent need for more police on the streets, particularly in light of the recent assaults.
"It is not just isolated incidents any more. It is at a point where it is not safe to go out at the weekends. CCTV cameras have helped but they are not in all areas. This problem needs to be tackled straight away."
Retired judge, Mr A.G. Murphy, has called for the closure of nightclubs in Cork to reduce crime in the inner city.
Supt Kieran McGann appealed for witnesses to the latest attack to contact their local Garda station. Gardaí are particularly interested in speaking to people who were in the South Main Street/Grand Parade area between 1.15 and 2.15 a.m.