Following being attacked in the Phoenix Park, Marcin Malinowski has reported the Gardaí to the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission

Marcin Malinowski has reported the Gardaí to the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission following the investigation into his attack.

In a recent interview, Malinowski claimed that officers dealing with his case asked him if he had provoked his attackers.

We originally reported on Marcin’s attack, which saw him beaten and abused by a gang of teenagers on bikes in the Phoenix Park. Leading the teenagers were older men in a black Golf Volkswagen car, who spurred them on with commands like “Kill the faggot”, Marcin said.

Interview

Following the attack, Malinowski was not interviewed by Gardaí in the immediate aftermath when he was taken to hospital.

“No one came to interview me in the hospital for 24 hours, at a time when I might have remembered in vivid details things like the registration of the car,” Malinowski said.

“It took until 4 August before I finally got to speak to Garda officers and be interviewed about the attack.”

“In that first meeting one of them said: ‘Are you really sure it was a hate crime?’ I started to feel that no one was listening to me; that this was an organised homophobic attack and that these thugs were going about targeting gay men.”

Unprovoked

In Malinowski’s second discussion with a Garda officer, his belief that they were not treating his claims with the gravity they deserved was confounded.

“I took a phone [call] from a female Garda officer and the first thing she asked me was, ‘Did you do anything to provoke them?’,” Malinowski said.

“I couldn’t believe what she was saying to me. I replied on the phone, ‘Are you fucking kidding me?’ I was on my way home from work”.

“What she was really saying was that I was in the park meeting guys for sex, making it out as if I was at fault even though I was on my bike going home.”

Unsealed envelope

When Malinowski received an envelope from the Gardaí to his home that was not sealed, but contained personal details, he was angered further.

“The envelope containing some personal details and those contacts wasn’t even sealed or glued. It meant that anyone in the house I share with could have opened it and read it.”

“The whole thing was shabby and casual,” Malinowski said.

Ombudsman

A Garda spokesperson said that they could not comment on the case due to the complaint made with the Ombudsman.

“As the complaint has been made to the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission, it would be inappropriate for Garda Síochána to comment. All queries should be directed to GSOC,” the spokesperson said.

Hate Crime

“I used to think that Dublin was a gay-friendly city, especially after last year’s referendum to legalise gay marriage,” Malinowski said.

“But while you can get married if you are gay and your marriage is equal in Irish law, you are still not protected against hate crime in this city.”

“This was an organised attack and if [it] is not taken seriously there will be other victims who are maybe not as strong or able to fight back, and who could end up in a far worse state than I am.”

Marcin’s surname was changed to protect his identity.