Vigilantes petrol bomb home
Woman (29) was allocated house aspart of anti-homelessness programme
Eoghan Dalton Reports
The remnants of a petrol bomb at the house of Leah Bray
A woman who was housed in a Waterford city housing estate as part of a Government programme for vulnerable people, was forced out of the home after it was burnt out by suspects described as “vigilantes”.
Across several nights in September, Number 97 in Farran Park was attacked by men wearing balaclavas armed with hammers and other weapons, concluding with a petrol bomb attack on the kitchen.
They destroyed many of the house’s windows, glass aspects of the doors as well as parts of the exterior of the property.Leah Bray (29) took up residence in the home last month, but she says she was forced back onto the streets after the house was attacked.
One night, the group painted graffiti saying “Junkies Out” on the wall outside the home.Leah fled the house and stayed with a friend one weekend a fortnight ago. When she returned the following day, Sunday September 15, she saw that the rear of the house had been petrol bombed.
Speaking to the Munster Express, she said the attacks have left her distraught: “Why should I lose out on the life I was beginning to get a fresh start at?“My past is my past and it’s nothing to do with anyone. They don’t know the life I had and what I have been through.”