Plans to house convicted sex offender in Tipp housing estate criticised

Photo © Tipp FM

Gardaí have maintained a presence at a housing estate in Cahir overnight as locals continue their protest over plans to house a convicted paedophile there.

The man is understood to have spent a night or two at the house in Woodview last week before leaving.

It emerged yesterday that the HSE and Tipperary County Council were arranging for the man – who has a number of convictions – to return this week.

Local residents in the close-knit estate took to the green area in protest before being told last evening that the man had agreed not to take the house and would be handing the keys back today.

Sinn Féin TD Martin Browne feels the situation should never have happened in the first place.

He says “to put someone into a housing estate where there are young families and young children is totally wrong in my opinion and something seriously needs to be done between the HSE and the council that this doesn’t be repeated anyplace let it be in Tipperary or anyplace in Ireland.”

He went on to say “it’s totally unfair on families that are trying to raise their families in a peaceful area and look Woodview is a nice area and to plant this kind of a situation in the middle of a housing estate is totally wrong and someone seriously needs to have a rethink of how people coming out of jail are housed.”