A THREE-YEAR-OLD boy escaped unhurt yesterday morning when a petrol bomb was thrown into the room in which he was sleeping. The incident occurred in Kilreendowney, Ballyphehane, Cork, on the southside of the city, at 1.40am.
A man in his late twenties was asleep in the room along with his young son. He woke up and alerted a couple who were in an upstairs room. The four made their way out of the house and the alarm was raised. Nobody was injured in the incident.
The device caused minor damage to the building. Gardaí preserved the scene while a forensic examination was carried out on the house. Door-to-door inquiries were also carried out.
Cork Green Party councillor Chris O’Leary, whose house was petrol bombed two years ago after he had spoken out on the issue of antisocial behaviour, described the incident as “horrific”.
“Whenever I hear about incidents like this I am brought back to what happened in my own home. It was a terrible shock for us. Whoever did this to this family needs to be apprehended and brought before the legal system.
“We are lucky that the man in his twenties managed to get out with the boy and the whole family got out alive. There is little regard for life. This had the mark of somebody planning it and that is unbelievable with a child in a house.”
Mr O’Leary, his wife Angela and their then 12-year-old daughter Orla had to leave their house in Mahon, Cork city, for seven weeks after the fire in July 2006 which caused some €55,000 worth of damage.
A 17-year-old youth, who could not be named for legal reasons, was jailed for seven years for a spate of antisocial behaviour incidents which included the petrol bombing of the councillor’s home.
Mr O’Leary said individuals affected by arson attacks remain in a continuous state of alert and have a feeling of no longer being secure in their homes. He called on members of the public who may know who is responsible for the crime to contact gardaí in confidence in relation to the matter.