Man charged over alleged Phoenix Park disorder incidents

A man in his late teens is due to appear in court tomorrow morning charged in connection with violent disorder incidents reported to have taken place in the Phoenix Park last Monday.

Earlier this week, the Seanad heard that three gay men were “hunted” in the park by a group of men with knives, with Fine Gael Senator Barry Ward saying that one of the victims had contacted him about the alleged incident.

At around 11.30pm that night, gardaí said they received an anonymous call relating to an incident in the park and attended the area.

Gardaí have said that a search of the area was conducted, but no person made themselves known to them.

A suspect was later identified following further inquiries.

Following his arrest he was detained at a garda station in north Dublin. He has subsequently been charged, and will appear in court tomorrow morning.

Mr Ward had told the Chamber on Wednesday that when the victims contacted gardaí “they were told there was no CCTV and they could not identify the crowd”.

The senator said “that is not good enough” and called for garda patrols in the park.

This afternoon, gardaí have said they take any crime or incident with a hate motivation seriously, and incidents reported to them are professionally investigated.

Gardaí have appealed for anyone with direct knowledge, or who has been a victim of such an incident in the area, to contact them at either Cabra Garda Station on 01 666 7400, the Diversity Unit at the Garda National Community Engagement Bureau on 01 666 3150 or through an advocacy group.

Gardaí have said that following the alleged incident, they have been in touch with a number of LGBTQI+ advocacy groups.