Rumours spread like wildfire on internet
Concerned residents gather at the entrance to Beachside Walk in Riverchapel following alleged sightings of rapist Larry Murphy.
More photos:
- <
- 1
- >
Related Articles
RUMOURS of sightings of Larry Murphy in the North Wexford area began to circulate on the internet last Thursday and Friday. There were initial reports that he had been seen walking on the beach in Castletown last Wednesday with three other men. Then there was word he had been seen in a coffee shop in Courtown, and also that he was living in a house in Riverchapel with two other sex offenders.
This newspaper checked with the only coffee shop in Courtown. The staff there said they hadn't seen him at any stage.
Calls began to flood in to Gorey Garda Station with reported sightings from Hollyfort to Craanford, from Morriscastle, to Clonattin Village in Gorey. He was said to have been seen shopping in several local supermarkets, and there was even a story he had jumped out in front of a woman from the bank at the railway bridge on the Arklow Road.
The rumours continued over the weekend. Facebook especially was awash with supposed sightings. He was supposed to have been at a bus stop in Ferns, where he apparently caught the bus to Gorey.
He was supposed to have been seen at a camogie match. And then he was said to be heading towards Kilmuckridge, having been 'run out' of the Courtown/Riverchapel area.
The stories continued into Saturday and Sunday, as rumours suggested Murphy tried to check into a hotel in Blackwater, but the number of 'sightings' has since died down after a major Garda effort to assure people he has not been in the area.
Also, several Facebook pages were restricted from public view, in an attempt to slow down the rate of scaremongering.
