A woman whose sister died in hospital after she was assaulted by three men at the street soup kitchen in Cork last weekend has said there is an urgent need for more gardaí on the streets to protect the vulnerable in society.
Lynda O’Callaghan told the Opinion Line on Cork’s 96FM that her sister Vanessa (36) had spent years on the streets of Cork.
Poignantly, when Linda went in to say her last goodbyes to her younger sibling in hospital she couldn’t help but notice that she was in a comfortable bed.
“I told her to sleep easy. I said ‘at least you are in a bed now today girl’ because she was in a nice bed. I stroked her feet and her hair. Marcella [my sister] spoke to her. We talked about when she was young.
“[Vanessa is in a better place] from the life she has been leading the last 20 odd years. She is safe now in the arms of her Dad and her brothers.
“Vanessa was a beam of sunlight every time you would see her. She was always happy. She had nothing. She lived on the streets. She never interfered with no one.
“She has been on the streets for years. A couple of years ago she was living in a tent at the back of the Mercy Hospital. I don’t know how she ended up on the streets. I did say I would help her. I always wondered how Vanessa was on the streets for so long. She was a pity.”
Lynda O’Callaghan lives in London and returns to Ireland regularly. Both she and her sister Marcella did everything in their power to assist Vanessa.
Lynda told the Opinion Line producer Paul Byrne that more patrols are needed on the streets in order to keep the general public and the homeless safe. She doesn’t want there to be a “next Vanessa.”
“Please God [there won’t be] because no family should have to go through what we are going through. There is more guards needed on the streets. Especially in the evenings. Because these are vulnerable people. Some of them have addictions. Some of them haven’t. Anything could happen.
“Soup runs are supposed to be a safe place where people can eat and drink. I think they definitely should have more guards and more patrols in the evenings when these people are queuing up. They should be entitled to sit down in peace in a public street and eat their dinner without the fear of being pulled off a bench and kicked around the road.”
Ms O’Callaghan said she was shocked to hear that her sister had been beaten up.
“I was also in shock to hear that it was men. Men! Vanessa was a bag of bones. You could have just pushed her and she would have fell over.
“I am disgusted that human beings could dance all over someone and leave them fighting for their life. And for her then to lose her life. It is disgusting. Vanessa had problems but she wasn’t a violent person. I am not saying she was perfect. Who is?”
She has called on the local authority to open up a special shelter for the homeless in the run up to Christmas.
“Let us hope that nobody has to suffer like Vanessa. There are plenty of empty buildings around Cork city. I have seen so many of them. I don’t understand why they don’t open up for a couple of hours in the evening. Like they set up [the soup kitchens] in town for a cup of hours.
“Why can’t they set up for a couple of hours in the evening so that people can go in, sit down have a wash and charge their phone ? Just because you are living in the street doesn’t mean you are a dirty person. Some people take pride in how they look.
“Let us hope they will find some where safe for our most vulnerable people. Because our vulnerable people were children. They are somebody’s sister, they are somebody’s mother, niece, aunt, friend and they didn’t get born in to the world homeless. They have got problems obviously.
“They have problems dealing with their problems not knowing how to address them. Maybe if they had a centre somewhere warm. But please Cork city don’t let our Vanessa’s death be for no reason at all. If anything open up somewhere for these very vulnerable people.
“Maybe [the local authority] should open a centre for Christmas and invite all these homeless people in in Vanessa’s name.”
Lynda said Vanessa was “only harmful to herself.” Lynda puts decorations on her Christmas tree every year to remember her late father, brother and nephews.
“It is three weeks to Christmas. Now we have another one to add to the Christmas tree. Vanessa knows we loved her. I hope she did anyway.
“Vanessa was full of beans. Our Dad used to call her Peggy Sue. Do you remember that film Dirty Dancing where [the character] Baby would jump in to his arms? She would have the old man doing that with her all the time. No doubt she is up there jumping in his arms today.
“Vanessa kept herself to herself. She was always by herself. A particular shop used to give her a hot chocolate every morning. She told everyone she loved them. I hope to God whatever happens that they find who done this. Vanessa did not deserve this.”
Meanwhile, a postmortem was carried out on Vanessa O’Callaghan on Thursday. The results have not been released for operational reasons. Funeral arrangements will be announced in the coming days.
CCTV footage from businesses in the area is being harvested and a large number of statements have been made. Investigations are ongoing. Gardaí have appealed for witnesses to the incident to contact them.
They have also asked that members of the public who were in the area of Patrick Street between 7pm and 8pm on Sunday night, and who may have video footage (including dash cam) to contact Angelsea Garda Station on 021 4522000, the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111 or any Garda station.
