Pensioners are being terrorised in their own homes at Grange Mews, Mullingar it was revealed this week, when residents and contacted Topic about a large group of youths who are congregating at the back of the apartments every night, sometimes until 3am.
By Claire Corrigan
The serious anti social behaviour, which started about six weeks ago, has meant that those living in the apartments have been unable to sleep due to the noise and have been on the receiving end of a barrage of profanities and obscene language if they attempt to confront those involved.
One resident who has lived at Grange Mews for the past 17 years said that problems only began about six weeks previously. “It was a grand place before that. We are getting the most of it here because everything they are shouting and screaming can be heard through the vents. You would think that someone is being killed with the screams.”
The residents believe that some of the youngsters are from as far away as D’Alton Park and from Grange area, and that some of them are believed to be no more than 12 years old. “I tried to reason with them. They are in under the stairs. There are some lads among them in their twenties and I was told that two girls were only aged 12 years. We could hear them screaming and one girl was complaining of being hurt,” residents told us.
When residents informed the youths that they intended to call the Gardaí, they said that the gang hurled abuse at them. “The language from them is unbelievable. The residents here are terrified to even come and go because they are shouting abuse at them when they do,” we were told.
Residents said the gang have damaged private property, breaking pipes, destroyed door latches and the boxes which contain wiring. “They broke everything out there. The pipes from the sink have all been kicked off the wall. They broke the latches on the two gates going into the little back gardens.”
They said the extreme noise is a nightly occurrence and can last until 3am at the weekend. “There was 20 of them in there on one occasion. I was in bed and I am hard of hearing and I could still here them. It really is shocking.”
Residents say the number of young people congregating at the property has increased steadily over the weeks. “At the start, it was two or three and then there was ten and the next time there must have been twenty. They said to me ‘Ring the Guards if you want, we don’t care about the Gardaí.”
The resident said that Westmeath County Council were contacted about the anti social behaviour over a month ago. However, nothing has been done to combat the problem so far. “It really was a lovely area before this. We are are all pensioners and everyone is very quiet and obliging. It been very difficult to put up with this.” the resident said.
