by Bernie English
METROPOLITAN Mayor and Limerick Vintners Federation representative Jerry O’Dea has called for tougher sentencing for people who carry out violent attacks on bar staff.
And he said that the now prevalent practice of “front loading” which involves people drinking large amounts of alcohol before they go to the pub, is making publicans work much harder.
Speaking to the Limerick Post, Mayor O’Dea, a long established publican, echoed the call from his national organisation for stronger sentencing and deterrents to prevent this type of violence.
“Luckily, to date, in Limerick we have avoided these life-threatening assaults but anybody in the business will tell you that our working environment has become much more difficult.
“Front loading and such recent trends have added to this difficulty. Many of these attacks are happening to elderly and vulnerable publicans in isolated areas and perhaps its high time to swing the pendulum back in favour of the victims of these vicious assaults and burglaries,” he said.
The Vintners’ Federation of Ireland (VFI) has called for stronger deterrents to be enacted immediately as those behind the assaults have no real fear of custodial sentences.
VFI chief executive Padraig Cribben said: “Many of our members are feeling vulnerable and exposed. We receive calls on a weekly basis about assaults right around the country. Publicans are being left with serious injuries and premises are being destroyed on a regular basis.
“We estimate that such attacks have increased by 40 to 50 per cent in recent years.
“Publicans have sustained serious facial injuries, broken noses and cracked ribs. Those are the measurable injuries, what is immeasurable is the mental trauma the victims are experiencing. The situation is being exacerbated by the apparent unwillingness of the Judiciary to hand down appropriate sentences to the convicted in these cases.
“It is very simple; without stronger sentencing imposed, these acts of violence are likely to continue. If some people believe that they can act with relative impunity they will do so”, he said.
