When affluence goes bad...

[Imperial Mongoonybus]

Desmond son targeted as schools rugby rivalry boils over


FINANCIER Dermot Desmond's son Derry's property was deliberately targeted in a graffiti attack by a number of Blackrock College students.

A gang of three spray-painted at night a car parked in front of the billionaire's home in Ailesbury Road, Dublin 4.

The Blackrock pupils defaced the car because they believed it was owned by Derry Desmond, who is a star player with St Michael's, a rival Dublin schools' rugby team.

The 'Rock pupils were caught out when they were captured performing their act of vandalism on Mr Desmond's extensive CCTV security system.

The number 65 was daubed on the car, which was not owned by Derry, in reference to how many times Blackrock College hopes to have won the Leinster Senior Cup by the end of the team's current campaign.

This footage was forwarded to Blackrock College headmaster Alan McGinty.

Mr McGinty did not return calls yesterday.

The spray-paint incident is one of a number of worrying events that occurred recently involving Blackrock College students during its latest schools' rugby campaign.

Daubing

A few weeks ago pupils in the school are believed to have been behind daubing the walls of changing rooms at St Michael's School, also on Ailesbury Road.

An attempt was made to throw any possible investigation 'off the scent' by deliberately using the name of Clongowes College among the graffiti.

And last week in a further incident, an upmarket bar near Blackrock was forced to turf out more than a dozen Blackrock College pupils wearing school rugby jerseys.

This followed them becoming very intoxicated, loud and boisterous after their team's victory over Kilkenny College.

One of the Blackrock College pupils involved in defacing the car is the son of a prominent Dublin businessman. This businessman declined to comment yesterday.

The students involved in the incident are believed to have only been lightly disciplined by their prestigious school. Blackrock's next Senior Cup match takes place in Lansdowne Road on Friday when they play Belvedere, who narrowly edged the 'Rock out of last year's final.

Last year, Blackrock College beat St Michael's 20-13 in a closely fought battle in the quarter final of the Leinster Senior Cup in the latest instalment of rivalry between the schools.