Steven "Bronco" Downey a former INLA prisoner and IRSP member is currently in Hospital recovering from serious leg and arm wounds received when members of the notorious O'Brian/Gaughan crime gang crashed a car into him in Bray on Sunday afternoon.

This is the second murder attempt on Mr. Downey and his family in two months, in July members of the same criminal clique poured petrol through the letter box of the family home in an attempted to burn the occupants to death.

IRSP Ard Comhairle member, Terry Harkin, who visited the family after the first murder attempts said today.

"As this is the second murder attempt in eight weeks that the attackers have been positively identified with in hours to the local police you would think that the Garda in Bray would have someone in custody and that the judicial system in the Free State would be seen to be working".

"This is not the case, in fact the IRSP has information to suggest that in the last two years the Garda in Bray have brought over 180 charges against this clique for offences yet not one of them has stood trial, the cases all fall because of time restraints".

"To say that we find this suspicious would be the understatement of the year, aside from the 180 failed cases why do senior Garda still refer to these attacks as a family feud? Why are these two families allowed to continue their reign of terror and their hold over the people of Bray's housing estates?"

"Old men have been knifed in public bars, teenage girls have been left so depressed that they have tried to take their own lives and there has been one attempted mass murder not to mention what took place yesterday yet those sworn to up hold the law do nothing, what is going on in that town?" Mr. Harkin asked.

"This gang appears to have friends in high places, they seem to be being protected, we have gone so far as to raised this issue with the Irish Government but even they seem powerless to stop the activities of the O' Brian's and Gaughan's in Bray".

"This has to stop and stop now before a community activist or Member of the Republican Socialist Movement is killed. We are calling for urgent action to be taken immediately to prevent the loss of life among community workers and Republican Socialist Movement personal" Mr. Harkin concluded.

STATEMENTS ENDS