'I am begging ye,' family of victim of Tipperary assault issue appeal over hospital photo

The "traumatised" family of Scarlett Faulkner have appealed to people to take down a photo of the young mother in a hospital bed.

Scarlett, aged in her 20s, from the northside of Limerick city, was viciously beaten by individuals armed with weapons at the side of the R494 road in Birdhill on Saturday evening. The motive is not known at this time. 

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The vehicle she was travelling in was rammed off the road before she was dragged from the vehicle and attacked.

The graphic photo of Scarlett in hospital has been shared widely on social media. It shows the extent of the injuries she suffered in the horrific incident.

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Her sister, Victoria, made an appeal for privacy on Facebook.  

“Please, I am begging ye take the picture down off your  pages of my sister Scarlett in a hospital bed please. Half of my family wouldn't go in to see her and my father didn't see her yet. Please can ye all delete the picture - we are going through enough,” wrote Victoria.

Gardaí said on Sunday that they are aware of video footage of the incident circulating online and ask members of the public not to share it on social media platforms or messaging apps, but instead to provide it to investigating gardaí.

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Scarlett was airlifted to the University Hospital Limerick before being transferred to Cork University Hospital. Her brother, Martin Anthony Faulkner shared a video of the scene of the incident which included footage of the helicopter taking off from Birdhill. He accompanied the Facebook post with three prayer emojis.

Meanwhile, Fr Pat Hogan, of Moyross parish and chaplain to the Traveller community, said he had met members of the Faulkner family who are “very traumatised”.

Fr Hogan said their thoughts and prayers are with members of the Faulkner family.

“There's violence involved in this. We don't need such violence in our society and we don't need our children seeing it. It is our duty as adults and as parents  to bring our children up in a non-violent place,” said Fr Hogan, who spoke to RTÉ News and Virgin Media News.

The well-known priest, who was formerly the chaplain in Limerick Prison, said there's no future in violence, only compromise, understanding, patience and forgiveness.