Girl (12) rams gardai
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A TWELVE-year-old girl was due to appear in court today after she stole a van, drove it to a garda station and taunted officers before ramming it into a chasing patrol car following a two-mile pursuit.
The girl stole the van in the Garryowen area of Limerick city at 3am today and drove it across the city with no headlights to the main garda station located in Henry Street.
Outside the district head office, she beeped the horn and taunted officers. The young girl then drove off and broke a number of red lights as several patrol cars gave chase.
She was eventually blocked off by responding patrol cars, but rammed into one of the vehicles causing minor damage.
The child was released into the custody of an adult.
In a separate incident, another woman received cuts to her hand when she was attacked and robbed by two women armed with a knife in the Roches Street area of the city.
The victim’s handbag was stolen and the two alleged assailants were later arrested.
Meanwhile, the regeneration of some of Limerick’s most deprived estates has been put at a mammoth €1.8bn.
Limerick’s Regeneration Agencies signed off on the draft masterplans for the radical overhaul and redevelopment of the city estates of Southill, Ballinacurra-Weston, St Mary’s Park and Moyross.
The Herald has learned that the unique project will cost an estimated €1.8bn from public finances and it is hoped that this figure will be matched by private investment over the next decade, bringing the total investment to over €3.6bn.
Under the plans, 3,000 homes in the Moyross, Southill, St Mary’s Park and Ballinacurra-Weston neighbourhoods are to be demolished and rebuilt.
New town centres are to be constructed in all areas with each suburb to be complimented with appropriate educational and sporting facilities.
Chief Executive of Limerick’s Regeneration Agencies Brendan Kenny said the State body is committed to seeing the plans through from start to finish over a 10-year period.
Amid the economic turmoil, there has been much speculation that the Government will be unable to commit the funds needed for the Limerick regeneration project
- Barry Duggan
