A local councillor has spoken out after a defibrillator was seriously damaged in Ballybay. The defibrillator which was put in place by Monaghan County Council outside of the Ballybay Library has now been removed until further notice due to the incident. While those responsible for the damage are still unknown, Cllr Sean Gilliland is appealing to anyone with information or who witnessed anything suspicious on the evening of Saturday the 4th of November to get in touch with local representatives or Gardaí.
Speaking to Northern Sound, Cllr Gilliland condemned such behaviour, describing it as an act of "sheer thuggery" carried out by vandals which will not be tolerated in Ballybay. He added that "every effort" will be made to find the culprits responsible for this criminal damage.
"It's beggars belief that someone would go and damage a device like that," said Cllr Gilliland. "It's the same thing as taking a life ring from a swimming pool or a lake, it could save someone life that's why they're' there. A defibrillator is not a there as a PR exercise, it's there to save lives. It's just sheer thuggery this criminal damage and every effort will be made to find out who done this through the means of CCTV and the Gardaí who are very proactive in Ballybay."
