Crime & Law

Teenager released without charge over Waterford petrol-bombing

File being prepared for DPP on 17-year-old questioned over incident in which three children were injured

A file image from last week of Nellie Halligan, grandmother of the injured children, in the living room where a petrol bomb was thrown through a window. Photograph: Patrick Browne

Aoife Carr
Conor Kane
Tue Oct 21 2014 - 09:05

A 17-year-old arrested on Sunday in connection with the petrol-bombing of a house in Waterford last week which left three children injured was released without charge last night.

A file is being prepared for the DPP.

The youth was arrested in Waterford city yesterday as part of an ongoing major investigation into the incident at the Ardmore Park estate in Ballybeg on the edge of the city.

An 11-year-old girl, Roisín Halligan, suffered serious burn injuries when she tried to protect her cousin, one-year-old Lexie Halligan, from the explosion which happened after a petrol bomb was thrown through the sitting-room window of their grandmother’s house.Roisín underwent surgery at Cork University Hospital following the attack and is expected to be in hospital for some time.

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Lexie Halligan was treated for burn injuries at University Hospital Waterford while a three-month old baby, William Halligan, who was also in the house at the time, suffered smoke inhalation.

Both have since been discharged.

Their grandmother Nellie Halligan, who prevented the injuries from being worse by putting out the fire with an extinguisher, remains “very shaken” by the events of Thursday night.

Another grand-daughter, Rebecca, said Mrs Halligan has spent a lot of time in Cork hospital with Roisín and Roisín’s mother Sabrina.

The 11-year-old is expected to be in hospital for up to 12 weeks as a result of the burn injuries she sustained to her face, legs, arms, neck and back.

“She was badly, badly burnt,” Rebecca Halligan said yesterday. “The treatment is going grand but they’re very concerned at her leg and her arm.”

The first arrest made in relation to the incident resulted in 23-year-old Gregory Hennessy of Priory Lawn in Waterford appearing before a special sitting of the local district court on Saturday.

He was remanded in custody and is due back in court today.

There were no further incidents reported in the Ballybeg area over the weekend although a garda involved in the investigation said the situation is “volatile enough” following the petrol-bomb attack.

“We’re trying to police it as much as we can,” he said.

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