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LAST UPDATE | 13 Dec 2022
A GARDA INVESTIGATION is underway after dozens of sheep were killed on a farm in Co Offaly at the weekend.
Speaking to RTÉ’s Morning Ireland, local man John Healy claimed the sheep died after being attacked by dogs.
On Saturday morning, Healy’s mother contacted him to let him know that a lamb had fled to her garden, about a quarter of a mile away from the farm.
Healy then sent his sons up to his field to check on the animals. This was when they discovered the dead sheep “everywhere” on the farm.
He said his sons witnessed two dogs running away from the scene.
There were 120 lambs in the field, Healy said, and that 50 had been killed. In a statement gardaí said they were investigating reports of an incident in which around 25 lambs were killed.
“I never want to see what I saw there again,” Healy said.
Healy said he is “pleading” with whoever owns the dogs to “please put them down because they will kill again”.
“The dogs that came to me had one thing in their head and that was killing because it wasn’t hunger. There were no lambs ate, they were all chopped and killed,” he said.
He said the surviving sheep are “terrified” and he believes they won’t thrive going forward as a result of the incident.
Healy said he has experienced dog attacks over the years, but nothing on this scale.
“It’s devastating on our household, on our children. It’s just a nightmare,” he said.
Gardaí at Roscrea are investigating the incident.
Enquires into the matter are ongoing, they said.
‘Very distressing’
IFA Sheep Chairman Kevin Comiskey said in a statement that in another incident in recent days, 20 lambs were attacked by dogs in Kildare.
“The devastation caused by these attacks is shocking. For any farmer to go and check your stock and to find a scene like this is very distressing,” Comiskey said.
“It’s simply not good enough for dogs to be allowed to roam free and cause the level of damage that took place in recent days. We need stronger regulation around dog ownership,” he said.
Comiskey led a delegation to meet Ministers Heather Humphreys and Charlie McConalogue earlier this year and they put forward measures that are needed to curb dog attacks.
However, the IFA said it hasn’t seen progress on any of these proposals in the past number of months.
“The persistent failure of the authorities has frustrated farmers who have suffered significant losses as a result of dog attacks, and those attacks continue to take place across the country,” Comiskey said.
“There had been what seemed constructive discussions with Minister Humphreys and Minister McConalogue back in May, but we haven’t seen enough action since,” he said.
The IFA is calling for a single national database for all dogs in the country to be created that identifies the person responsible for the dog. It also wants tougher sanctions for those who fail to have their dog under their control at all times, and for those whose dogs are identified worrying/attacking livestock.
The Association has also called for additional resources to ensure compliance with the obligations of dog owners.
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I can’t believe he has a girlfriend when he’s a convicted paedophile.
I can’t believe chemical castration isn’t mandatory for animals like him.
“Girlfriend” can refer to an adult woman, not necessarily a child.
Yes Neal, I am aware. I am just surprised that any woman would become involved with a convicted paedophile.
“Girlfriend” can refer to an “inflatable” woman, in this case.
Oh but you can’t say that, these people have human rights you see, the heroes at amnesty international would be appalled…
Thank goodness for that judgment from Europe. They aren’t always as sensible as this.
Just out of curiosity,
Is there any sympathy for this man at all?
He’s suffering from a genetic condition with a bunch of pretty terrible to side effects (impulsivity, impaired judgement, promiscuity, apathy and executive dysfunction with poor planning and decision making) – these are only a few of the possible symptoms.
While not wanting to excuse this man, or possibly even change the procedure carried out on him, I still find it a little excessive for people to suggest he needs “justice” with a “rusty saw” and that he’s an “animal”. Agree or disagree with what happened to him, but it’s already demonstrated that he’s sick. He is suffering from a condition which could very well have caused him to behave in this way.
Just seem very odd to demonise him, when he’s suffering from a condition which he cannot control. Remove him from society, so that he can’t be a danger to himself or others, but don’t sit in judgement of him as a person.
Cue “liberal agenda”, “lefty nonsense” and “psychological BS” comments.
Sean wake up and cop on, where Is your thoughts on the next child victim ffs
In fairness Sean, between this and your outright witch-hunt of the NI baker – you do indeed come out with some off the wall stuff… I’d have that moral compass checked out.
Troyman, did you bother to read my comment at all?
To a certain extent, this man is also the victim of this illness.
As I said, I in no way want to excuse his behavior, actions or compulsions. I also said, I might not even change what happened to him.
What I also said was that there seems to be zero appreciation for the fact that this man is not of sound mind or at the very least has an altered mental state.
All i’m saying is that branding him a monster for a genetic illness he has and can’t do anything about is pretty awful.
LoneHurler,
Once again distorting the truth. Well played, I did absolutely nothing of the sort regarding the NI Baker. What I said on that (which is completely irrelevant to this conversation btw) is that people get religious freedom, businesses don’t. Simple as.
Secondly, please explain to me, what’s wrong (morally) with saying “yeah for the sake of everyone involved, this should probably have happened, but that doesn’t make him a monster”.
You rarely say anything that’s little above trolling, now’s your chance. Go for it.
Compassion for the child victim of sexual abuse trumps the compassion for an ill perpetrator every time Sean.
Wait,
Is there a quota?
Are you only allowed to feel sorry for one of them?
Is it possible that instead of even expressing compassion for this guy, people could simply not suggest that he’s a “animal” who should castrated with a “rusty saw” for the sake of “justice”.
If you’re only capable of having compassion for one of the groups in this, fine. But that isn’t the case, nor does a lack of having compassion compel people to revile someone instead.
How do you suggest we protect our children Sean? It’s not punishment, it’s protection.
Kitty. Sean puts this animal with his illness above our children. He had the cheek to do the same last week to me over this fellow whom the bbc have interviewed. He has very sexual impulses for children as young as 5. He got great sympathy from a few here . I was devestated, these annimal have no place near children.
I’d have taken him to the zoo and turned him into a Lion bar,
then I’d have thrown 2 Rennie to the Lion for Dessert. ……
Pedophilia and hebaphilia are 2 entirely different things! Pedophiles are attracted to prepubescent children and hebaphiles are attracted to pubescent children. One is not a form of the other.
Hebe-geebie-phile
Castration with a rusty saw is the best treatment for paedophiles.
Do you think torture fantasies are healthy? I’m not judging (much), just find it slightly odd.
Livestock squeezers at the start of a new moon, sweeling would then occur, that’s proper treatment….. And justice
U wot m8?
Burdizzo. That’s the best yoke.
Foshizzle
A sensible judgement, when can we implement it here! Probably never too many do gooders!
‘Probably never too many do gooders’ – is that meant as a positive or a negative?
About time, any chance of out donkey silver spoon cavier fed juctice system following suit
Well, that’s the most bizarre thing I’ve read this morning. *~*
God old school, finally, someone who stood up to “political correctness”
If you like this, you’ll looooove Saudi Arabia.
Have to agree with you scarr. Going by the comments made by troy, tom and others, I’m surprised the mairia Cahill story got any traction when so many here call for similar types of sharia based community justice.
Well Scarr, I am an open Anti Saudi, anti Islamisation of Europe, and pro equal rights, but some people will never change, is in their nature and is either the paedophile’s human rights or our innocent children’s human rights. When human rights clashes what do you do? Don;t tell me that he should be put in surveillance or away from children, or in a program, people like him have no help, they were born this way, just like I was born being attracted to adult women, and someone else was born being attracted to adults from the same sex (Nothing wrong about it), some are medically born to be paedophile like this man.
Other acceptable punishment would be moving the offender to another jurisdiction.
This is a very interesting and important ruling by the ECHR. It now seems that a state can perform a medical procedure on its citizens, like castration, where it is preventative.
I wonder does this hearld a new approach to the way we should punish criminals and those that might harm our society? New laws to castrate sex offenders? Amputate the hands of pick pockets? Psychological and physical maiming of thieves, white collar criminals? Once we have developed the means by which genetics allows us to predict who amongst us might be a threat, then we can really develop this concept further.
Well Scarr, I am an open Anti Saudi, anti Islamisation of Europe, and pro equal rights, but some people will never change, is in their nature and is either the paedophile’s human rights or our innocent children’s human rights. When human rights clashes what do you do? Don;t tell me that he should be put in surveillance or away from children, or in a program, people like him have no help, they were born this way, just like I was born being attracted to adult women, and someone else was born being attracted to adults from the same sex (Nothing wrong about it), some are medically born to be paedophile like this man.
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