Fatal assault of homeless woman in Cork highlights urgent need for supports
O'callaghan Vanessa
The fatal assault of a vulnerable woman at a homeless group's on-street soup kitchen in Cork City has broken hearts and broken spirits, a leading homeless campaigner has said.
Catriona Twomey, of Cork Penny Dinners, says the tragic case of Vanessa O'Callaghan, 36, highlights the need for another emergency homeless shelter in the city and for a massive increase in wrap-around supports for homeless people, especially women sleeping rough.
“It’s a big area but it needs to be tackled — to give these people a second, third and fourth chance because we are losing too many and we don’t want this to happen anymore," she said.
Her call comes as gardaí continue their investigation into the death of Ms O’Callaghan, who slept rough, struggled with addiction, and was well-known to homeless services. She was assaulted on St Patrick’s Street last Sunday evening while visiting an on-street soup kitchen run by volunteers.
She managed to walk a short distance following the altercation but was found unresponsive in a doorway a short time later. First aid was rendered before she was rushed by ambulance to Cork University Hospital where she was pronounced dead on Wednesday.
A post mortem examination was conducted on her remains at CUH on Thursday by pathologist Dr SallyAnne Collis to establish the exact cause of death but the results are not being released for operational reasons. It was not clear last night whether the investigation will be upgraded.
Ms Twomey, who interacted with Ms O'Callaghan almost daily, described her as a woman with "childlike innocence". "She would just sit there and say hello to everybody that passed by, with a big smile on her face," she said.
"She was great for asking people how they were. She had a very, very big smile. She was always beyond thankful, very grateful, and she would let us know every day how grateful she was.
“We are all truly saddened by every death on the streets, by every death through addiction, but Vanessa’s death has hammered it home to us how, even in a vulnerable state, how easy it is for your life just to disappear.
“We need a system of supports. If somebody goes to a treatment centre and they come out after a month and then they are back on the streets, that is obviously a recipe for disaster.
"We need consistency, we need massive pre-care, we need massive treatment, and we need massive aftercare. We need all these systems in place.
“And we need emergency accommodation where people can have a bed for the night and a day centre where they can access support services during the day, somewhere that can get them ready for their own home forever home."
Gardaí attached to the Serious Crime unit in Anglesea Street have taken statements from a number of people who were at the scene on Sunday, and they are understood to be following a definite line of enquiry.
They have appealed to anyone who was around the Savoy on St Patrick’s Street between 7.15pm and 8.15pm on Sunday, and especially any road users with dash-cam footage, particularly taxi drivers, to contact Anglesea Garda Station on 021 4522000.
On September 12, 2019, James Duncan, 40, was assaulted at a homeless charity’s street cafe on St Patrick’s St. He died six weeks later in hospital.
In 2022, a jury found Adrian Henry, 49, from Blackpool, Cork, not guilty of his manslaughter. He had denied the charge.