After a bad year for attacks on elderly people in the Republic in 1998, when eight people in their 60s to 80s were killed in their homes, the levels of such crime declined. Publicity generated by the cases, and the threat of severe sanction by the authorities and the courts, appear to have had a deterrent effect.
However, Victim Support, the voluntary group which runs an alert service for elderly vulnerable people, estimates that as many as 1,400 elderly people were victims of crime last year.
Commenting on the murder in Co Meath on Monday of Mr Paddy Logan, the chief executive of Victim Support, Ms Lillian McGovern, said it was significant that Mr Logan had been the victim of robbery some months ago.
"We know that the effect of such an incident has long-lasting results, with fear and psychological trauma resulting. A repeated incident in such a short space of time must therefore have hugely traumatised him," she said.
Victim Support estimated that in 1999, a year when relatively little public attention was paid to attacks on the elderly, 126 people over the age of 65 were assaulted during a robbery. Some 1,400 elderly people were the victims of crime, and 600 of these reported they were seriously affected.
Similarly, in the early 1990s after a series of progressively worsening attacks, mostly by small gangs from the settled community, but including several by gangs from the Travelling community, the high level of publicity led to a major Garda operation.
However, most of the gangs active during the mid-1990s were captured, and the attacks declined until 1998. Two gangs, one from Limerick and the other from Cork, who were responsible for dozens of raids in the past two years, are being broken up by Garda action, with several members due to face serious charges.
The attacks in 1998 included the murder of Mr Eddie Fitzmaurice (83). He was found dead in his bedroom at Bellaghy, Co Sligo, on May 6th. No one has been charged to date.
On May 22nd, 1998, Mr Tom Kelly (83), of Cluain Buaile, Ballydangan, Co Galway, died in hospital two months after an assault in his home.
A 30-year-old homeless man is serving a life sentence for the murder of Mr Patrick Skehan, (68) of O'Brien's Bridge, Co Clare.
Mrs Marie Dillon (73), a widow who campaigned for more assistance and protection for the elderly and vulnerable, was beaten to death at her home in west Dublin in November 1998. A 17-year-old local was arrested and charged with her murder.
A Co Roscommon publican, Mr Tom Croghan (71), was found stabbed in his pub on December 27th, 1998. A 19-year-old local man was arrested and charged. While attacks in the Republic have diminished since the spate in 1998, Northern Ireland has been experiencing an increasing rate of attacks on the elderly. This has coincided with the drop in the level of security presence.
Mr Hugh Meharg (73) died from injuries he received when he and his brother, David (68), were attacked in their home outside Castlewellan, Co Down, last Christmas Day. Their attackers tied the brothers up and stabbed Hugh in the throat while forcing them to hand over money.
In November 1998 Mr Ernest Gilmore (77), who lived alone outside Dungannon, Co Tyrone, died from injuries he received when he was robbed, beaten and tied up.
There have been several horrific attacks on the elderly in Northern Ireland in the past year, including the sexual assault of a 91-year-old woman at her home Castlederg, Co Tyrone. In a number of instances in the North police believe cross-Border gangs may have been responsible.
Aside from attacks by marauders on the homes of vulnerable elderly people there is also a pattern in this State of elderly people being subjected to violence from close, younger family members with psychiatric problems. There have been several instances of this in the past two years.
Mr John O'Connell, in his 60s, of Kincora Avenue, Clontarf, was stabbed to death in the kitchen of his home. A 22-year-old man was questioned and taken for psychiatric assessment.
On December 19th, 1998, Mrs Shiela Lynch (47), of Drumbarkey, Cootehill, Co Cavan, was found strangled in her bed. Her 22-year-old son who has a history of mental illness was found guilty of murder but insane in April.
Mr Gertrude Dolan (56) and her husband, John (71), were found stabbed to death in their home at Ravensdale on June 28th, 1999. A 26-year-old man was charged.
Ms Nancy Nolan, an 81-year-old widow who lived alone at Ballygar, Co Galway, was attacked in her home and beaten to death on February 15th last. A man has been charged with this killing.
In July 1999 three septuagenarian friends, Ms Eileen Coyne, Ms Margaret Colcannon and Ms Bridget McFadden, died when their house on Inishbofin was set on fire. A man in his 20s is in custody awaiting trial.