Family hits out at lack of policing after son’s jaw smashed

The family of a young man viciously assaulted in Woodquay at the weekend – leaving him with a jaw broken in three places and smashed teeth – have hit out at the lack of Gardaí on the streets.

And they have said that unprovoked street assaults have become a common feature of nightlife in Galway.

22-year-old Ronan Greaney was walking from his house in Woodquay to purchase cigarettes from a nearby shop at around 1.30am on Sunday morning, when he met with a group of four people, all believed to be in their late teens.

They engaged him in conversation before one of them men struck him to the head while he wasn’t looking.

He suffered three breaks to his jaw and severe damage to his bottom teeth.

He was operated on at UHG on Tuesday, where two metal plates were inserted into his jaw permanently, and his mouth has been wired shut for up to six weeks.

Speaking yesterday, his father Eugene said he was shocked at the amount of assaults that he has since heard of.

“The amount of the exact same crimes that are happening, to people of all ages, we’ve been hearing about so many since what happened to Ronan. I can’t believe how we haven’t heard about them before now.

“The power is with the criminals. They know there’s no Garda presence on the streets. Young people are going out and looking over their shoulders,” he said.

For more from Ronan’s family, see this week’s Galway City Tribune