Simon workers hear of regular attacks on homeless people

People sleeping rough should "sleep in numbers and in a safe place", the Dublin Simon Community advises.

The warning, from Simon's director Mr Greg Maxwell, comes after a man sleeping in a doorway in Grafton Street, Dublin, was set on fire by youths two days ago.

In the incident, which occurred at about 5.30 a.m. on Wednesday, a man in his late 30s was doused with a flammable liquid and set on fire by two youths who later escaped on foot. The victim, originally from Co Monaghan and now with an address in Co Meath, is not homeless and does not wish to be named.

Although the victim in this instance was not homeless, the incident underlines how vulnerable people sleeping rough are to violent attack, said Mr Maxwell.

"This kind of vicious attack is happening more and more," he said. "It's something we only first started to hear of about a year ago but it's happening more and more."

Dublin Simon outreach workers would hear of about one such attack a month, "but I'm certain it's happening more than we are hearing about.

"What seems to be happening is that gangs of maybe two, four or eight youths are going out just to find someone sleeping rough, just to give them a good beating."

There was frequently no attempt to rob the victims, just to attack them. Women were particularly vulnerable. "Over half the women sleeping rough will be subjected to some kind of violent, physical assault in the next year. And women are vulnerable to so many different types of attack."

"People [who are\] homeless are 150 times - or 1,500 per cent - more likely to be assaulted than the rest of the population," he said.

According to a Garda spokesman the victim in Wednesday's attack is "very, very lucky the delivery men moved as fast as they did". Mr Brian Power of Bluebell Dairies, described pulling up at the top of Grafton Street at about 5.30 a.m. and seeing two youths a few doors up from Laura Ashley "standing over a chap, just laughing. I thought they were having a joke."

Mr Conor Beacom (16), one of his assistants, noticed flames about a foot high, close to the man asleep on the ground.

"He just ran down and by then it was really a mini-inferno," said Mr Power. "He just ran right in there, didn't think of his own safety, and took off the heavy jacket we all have for the cold, and put it over the flames. Then my other helper, John \ (17) ran down. He grabbed a few cartons of milk and just emptied them over the chap and that put out the flames. When they took the jacket away bits of his skin had melted into the jacket," he said.

The two assailants - described as in their 20s, one with a shaved head and the other with bleached hair - had run in the direction of St Stephen's Green. Though both the milkvan-driver and the driver of a bread van tried to chase them they "got into the Green and got away".

The man "was dazed and a bit confused", said Mr Beacom. "I don't think he really knew what had happened." He was taken by ambulance to St James's Hospital. He has third-degree burns around his feet, ankles and shins but is said to be comfortable.

Speaking from the family home in Co Monaghan yesterday, the man's brother said the family was "very shocked" and didn't wish to talk about the incident. He said his brother was "doing okay", but was "quite embarrassed about the whole thing".

Gardaí in Pearse Street are investigating the incident. Some 300 people sleep rough in Dublin city every night, said Mr Maxwell. Protecting them requires the provision of "good quality accommodation".

"But funding is too uncertain to plan far ahead enough to provide the accommodation. It's a problem that could be solved at the stroke of Mr McCreevy's pen."