DUBLIN RAVAGED BY HEROIN, GREGORY SAYS

The Independent TD Mr Tony Gregory told the Special Criminal Court
yesterday that heroin had "ravaged" Dublin's inner city communities
for 20 years.

He said he knew of entire families wiped out by heroin and said there
had been a community response to the problem.

The TD was giving evidence on behalf of one of two men who have
pleaded guilty to assault and violent disorder following an anti-drugs
meeting in Dolphin's Barn.

Mr Josie Dwyer, a heroin addict, died after the assault, and his
friend, Mr Alan Byrne, was injured. The court adjourned sentence on
the two men until today after hearing evidence from a number of
character witnesses including Mr Gregory. Members of the Coalition of
Communities Against Drugs picketed the court yesterday.

Ronald Byrne (40), of Cremona Road, Ballyfermot, and Stephen Carney
(24), of Dolphin House, Rialto, have pleaded guilty to assaulting and
injuring Mr Byrne (26), of Basin Street flats, Dublin, on May 14th,
1996.

They changed their pleas and admitted committing violent disorder
after they were rearraigned on the fifth day of their trial for the
manslaughter of Mr Dwyer (41), at Basin Lane. The State is expected to
drop the manslaughter charge after they are sentenced on the lesser
charges.

Mr Gregory told Mr John McCrudden QC, for Byrne, that he "could not
believe that young people were injecting heroin directly into their
veins on balconies and stair-wells until mothers came and told me that
they had to wash the blood off the stairwells because their children
were playing there".

Sister Elizabeth O'Brien told the court she had lived in Dolphin House
since 1986 and had seen the effects of the heroin problem. She said
there had been very little response from the outside world. She had
attended Concerned Parents meetings in the area which Ronald Byrne had
chaired and he had given up a lot of his time and energy to dealing
with the drugs problem.

The court has been told the two men have already been jailed for 20
months by the Circuit Criminal Court for violent disorder relating to
the incident when Mr Dwyer died.