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Entrance to the Arklow Bay Hotel. Google Maps

Investigation launched after teenager 'exposes himself to hotel kids' club'

The incident happened at around 9pm last night.

GARDAI WERE CALLED to a hotel last night after it was alleged a teenager exposed himself to a group of children.

A large number of children were present at the Arklow Bay Hotel in Wicklow last night when two people entered the premises.

It is alleged that one knocked on a window while the other stripped so that his bottom half was naked.

A number of children saw the teenager without any trousers and became distressed. Gardai were then called.

A spokesman said: “Gardaí at Arklow are investigating an incident which was reported at 9pm at a premises on Sea Road in Arklow, Wicklow on 23 February 2017. CCTV will be viewed as part of the investigation.”

A number of parents had been taking advantage of a social club which allows them to relax in the hotel bar while their children are cared for by an adult.

One parent, who did not wish to be named, said that he had been having a few drinks with his partner when his child was brought to him from the kids’ club.

“The woman said my kid wanted to come back and that I had to sign her out,” he said. “So then I ask her ‘what’s wrong? Why do you want to leave?’ and that’s when she told me that a boy had pulled down his pants and his underwear down to his ankle and was showing himself off. This guy wouldn’t have been a child, he would have been a bit older.”

The father said there would have been children as young as six years old who would have witnessed what happened.

“It is scary to think that he’d expose himself to children as young as that. It’s frightening to think.”

TheJournal.ie contacted the hotel a number of times this morning and had asked for a statement. There was no official comment made available at time of publication.

Read: Kym Owens recovering at home after being released from hospital >

Read: A woman and child were rescued after a fire broke out at a Dublin flat >

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37 Comments
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    Mute Matt Connolly
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    Feb 24th 2017, 12:15 PM

    A bit thin on facts – did he expose his genitalia or moon?

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    Mute Anne Marie Devlin
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    Feb 24th 2017, 12:31 PM

    If it’s a teenager doing a moony, well that’s been going on for a long time. Teenagers behaving like teenagers should not make national news. If it’s a bit of willy- waggling, then a clip around the ear probably suffices. 6-year olds traumatized at the sight of someone with no trousers sounds like compensation chasing to me.

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    Mute Joe Keogh
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    Feb 24th 2017, 1:03 PM

    @Matt Connolly It was at night so it must have been mooning!:

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    Mute stefanovich
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    Feb 24th 2017, 3:22 PM

    Yeah I’m trying to think how they would react in any other way than fits of laughter.

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    Mute KM TON
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    Feb 24th 2017, 1:18 PM

    That father seems more pissed odd that he was pulled away from his pints more so than anything else

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    Mute Elaine Shannon
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    Feb 24th 2017, 1:29 PM

    @KM TON:@KM TON: that was my first thought too lol fuming that he couldn’t enjoy his pint haha

    106
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    Mute Kers Neil
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    Feb 24th 2017, 1:25 PM

    Did any sober parents give statements?

    142
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    Mute Philip O Brien
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    Feb 24th 2017, 12:22 PM

    Streakers beware – your end is in sight!

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    Mute Ray James Franco Browne
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    Feb 24th 2017, 12:38 PM

    I can see all the Helen Lovejoy’s now “won’t somebody please think of the children” without the full facts I’m assuming the lad pulled a mooner, at worst they dared each other, I wouldn’t say either are predators regardless.

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    Mute Andy Kennedy
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    Feb 24th 2017, 2:27 PM

    @Ray James Franco Browne: stil though, why are you mooning 6 year olds? That’s creepy.

    47
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    Mute Mark Malone
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    Feb 24th 2017, 3:47 PM

    More likely they were mooning the young one looking after the kids.

    41
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    Mute TheIrishBrain
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    Feb 24th 2017, 12:26 PM

    Stayed in the Arklow Bay Hotel a few times great food and a nice place.

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    Mute Beachmaster
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    Feb 24th 2017, 12:34 PM

    Cool story, bro!

    144
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    Mute damien o brien
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    Feb 24th 2017, 12:34 PM

    Yeah nice hotel. Balls of a view from it though

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    Mute TheIrishBrain
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    Feb 24th 2017, 12:41 PM

    @Beachmaster: Its better then yours. The End.

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    Mute Ger
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    Feb 25th 2017, 3:36 AM

    than*

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    Mute Paul Somers
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    Feb 24th 2017, 12:20 PM

    Its a isolated incident by some prat (If it happened), the country is riddled with them, the Arklow Bay hotel is a great venue for meetings, lunch or a quick break, shame that the Journal would publish an article without any facts. http://www.arklowbay.com

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    Mute Rónán O'Suilleabháin
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    Feb 24th 2017, 12:24 PM

    What? You’d swear the article was implying the hotel was some sort of flashers paradise.

    No need to break out the free advertising dude. No one is looking at this nonsense and thinking ‘by God I’m never going to that hotel now

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    Mute Paul Somers
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    Feb 24th 2017, 12:35 PM

    @Rónán O’Suilleabháin: Not meaning for it to be ‘break out the free advertising’ but Garreth MacNamee the journalist seems to gain one sided unsubstantiated information and publishing it before knowing facts. Rónán back in 2000, the Arklow Bay Hotel opened its doors to all the people in the area who had been rendered temporarily homeless by flooding without the blink of an eye. When I read the article I took homage to the lack of facts, and more finger pointing.

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    Mute Rónán O'Suilleabháin
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    Feb 24th 2017, 12:38 PM

    There’s literally nothing attacking the hotel in this article, and no accusation of complicity.

    It just happens to be where a pretty minor crime happened.

    Are you just upset the hotel was named? It’s a simple fact in the story, one which you seem to expect to be counterbalanced by a history of all that’s good about the place.

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    Mute Dave Murray
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    Feb 24th 2017, 12:53 PM

    @Paul Somers: Are you saying news outlets reporting a story should omit information regarding the story deliberately? The article isn’t slandering the hotel in any way just reporting an incident was meant to have happened in that particular hotel.

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    Mute Rossa O Brien
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    Feb 24th 2017, 12:08 PM

    Cut his balls off.

    36
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    Mute The Girl
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    Feb 24th 2017, 12:15 PM

    And stuff his mouth with it. Too many crazy people in the world.

    34
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    Mute Martin Byrne
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    Feb 25th 2017, 10:20 AM

    Wow! Really?!? You’ve no idea what happened here and you’re immediately advocating mutilation? Why don’t you join ISIS.

    Some idiot made a very dubious decision, whether drunk or egged on, whether he knew there were kids on the other side of the window, I don’t see any evidence that the person in question is necessarily nefarious.

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    Mute Alois Irlmaier
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    Feb 24th 2017, 12:49 PM

    Kavanagh did the same and all he got was a lift home?

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    Mute Jho Harris
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    Feb 24th 2017, 1:31 PM

    What the hell I am reading here, it was a predetermined act of vile in front of children and nobody can realise that. More local more people should visit the hotel next Thursday night and sit in their cars until it happens again. There are no excuses for this type of vile act.

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    Mute filthypete
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    Feb 24th 2017, 4:26 PM

    Well we know where you’ll be next Thursday night so.

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    Mute Ger
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    Feb 25th 2017, 3:39 AM

    I think that’s called “dogging”.

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    Mute Dubabroad
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    Feb 25th 2017, 12:38 PM

    Yea… I heard this happens every Thursday night without fail… Whatever about a lad mooning do you not think a load of auld fellas sitting in their cars at some hotel carpark waiting for someone to hopefully expose themselves is a bit Erm.. Weird?

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    Mute John B
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    Feb 24th 2017, 9:34 PM

    “The children were distressed”, as the father of three children’s, I must say that it wasn’t until they got older that they realized a willy or breast or whatever was any different to any other body part. I can picture a bunch of giggling children but as the other poster said, sounds like teenage antics rather than anything else. It’s not like a flasher in a parka.

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    Mute the truth
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    Feb 24th 2017, 1:47 PM

    another example of the uncontrolled rape culture thats sweeping the country i suppose.

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    Mute Andy Kennedy
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    Feb 24th 2017, 2:31 PM

    @the truth: grand so… you think it’s ok to flash 6 year olds?

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    Mute Joe Jackson
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    Feb 24th 2017, 2:43 PM

    @Andy Kennedy: I think 6 year olds should be in bed by 9pm anyway…

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    Mute the truth
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    Feb 24th 2017, 3:04 PM

    @andy absolutely not the b@llox should be kicked out of the eejit.

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    Mute Michael Mike Mathäß
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    Feb 25th 2017, 8:16 AM

    Should Children not be AT HOME in bed at 9pm … a Thursday with school on Friday morning? What next? Hotels now with late-night childcare facilities so that their parents can partake in consuming alcohol, Interesting.

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