I take it the Minister of State, Deputy Hanafin will reply to this matter. I thank the Chair for the opportunity to raise the matter of the brutal and sinister attack that occurred in Wexford last night.
Just after 10 p.m. a group of armed thugs broke into the home of Pat Moorehouse and his family in Ferndale Park Estate in Wexford town. Mr. Moorehouse was pinned up against a wall and shot twice in the kneecaps. He is currently in Waterford General Hospital recovering from emergency surgery, while his family tries to come to terms with the horror that was visited upon them by a self-appointed gang of thugs.
In the short time that has elapsed since this brutal attack, it has been established that Mr. Moorehouse was not the intended victim of the attack. I am reluctant to use the term "innocent victim" about attacks of this kind, as it seems to imply some degree of legitimacy could be conferred on the attackers if they had struck their intended target. I refuse to countenance any such interpretation, no matter what the circumstances.
The circumstances of this attack are still unclear. However, our experience tells us that one of two likely scenarios has come to pass. A vigilante gang with paramilitary connections has again taken the law into its own hands or a criminal gang has attempted to settle a score. Either way the action has had tragic consequences for the Moorehouse family and a response from the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform and from this House is urgently needed.
Gangland activity is still a major cause for concern in our society. In Dublin, in particular, the rate of gangland attacks is consistently high and clearly demonstrates that the trade in illegal drugs is an ever-present threat. Over recent years we have witnessed the break-up of dangerous and ruthless gangs, however, we have not managed to prevent new thugs taking their place and expanding their criminal network.
These gangs are becoming increasingly vicious. The so-called canal murders that occurred last year are evidence of the brutality in which drug gangs will engage to protect their empires. The armoury available to these gangs has also become ever more sophisticated and brutal. The Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform must account to this House for the low levels of detection and prosecution in relation to gangland crime, and the new initiatives he now needs to take must be spelled out in response to this debate. I would also be obliged if the Minister of State would comment on the worrying spread of this type of violence outside the Dublin region into the so-called rural areas and the reasons behind that.
The possibility that last night's horrific attack may have been related to vigilante activity must be considered by the Garda and the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform. I wish to comment briefly on the growth of vigilantism, which unfortunately has become an ever-present feature across the country.
The Minister will be well aware of the action of Sinn Féin in Kerry in recent months and the arson and physical assaults that occurred in the county in the run up to an electoral contest a short time ago. The pattern of behaviour is being repeated across the country. Last week Sinn Féin in Waterford began promoting what was described by local gardaí as "vigilante groups". A local garda superintendent described this in stark terms. He said:
This is the typical kind of propaganda being used by this organisation throughout the country, but of course, it's with their own agenda in the run up to an election. I think it is appalling that any political organisation would be going down this road."
The ultimate logic of this type of activity has left hundreds of young people in Belfast, Derry and other towns in Northern Ireland maimed for life. It is a reality that resulted in the brutal murder of Mr. Andy Kearney in Belfast in July 1998 in retaliation for the "crime" of standing up to a local IRA member. It is a twisted form of justice that has no place in a civilised society. That growing trend is now visible in this jurisdiction.
The Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform has a strong commitment to the rule of law. He is, no doubt, as concerned as I am at the growing incidence of vigilantism, often encouraged by Sinn Féin. While I have much respect for the developments that have taken place in republicanism in the past decade and its contribution to the peace process, I will not turn a blind eye to unconstitutional, illegal and dangerous vigilantism. I ask the Minister of State to spell out to the House the knowledge she might have of activities of this kind and the steps the Government intends to take to stamp it out.
