Police are investigating after pig heads were left in Kilbroney Park in Rostrevor early on Saturday morning, including one impaled on a wooden stick. Mark Gibbons called the display “absolutely disgusting and sick”, and Newry, Mourne and Down District Council said it was working with the PSNI and relevant partners.
Gibbons said somebody would have had to go to “great lengths” to do it. He also said the pig heads were quite large, and that he did not think children were responsible because of the “huge big stake posts” driven into the ground.
Jack in Kilbroney Park
Jack, who was walking his dog early on Saturday, said the scene was “a very extreme attempt at a prank in a public space which is very busy at weekends with families, the Parkrun, and the couple of planned Halloween activities in the village for kids today”. Kilbroney Park is used daily by families, young children and people walking their dogs, and the incident landed during the Halloween break.
The PSNI said it is investigating the incident and is keeping an open mind about the motivation behind it. A controlled explosion was carried out after the incident, and residents in Greystone Crescent were allowed to return to their homes.
CCTV in Rostrevor
Gibbons said the display was “just awful for this to be done in a public park and a lot of people are horrified”. He also said, “It's very sinister, very disturbing and hopefully there will be CCTV cameras being looked at through the village...and hopefully they're caught.”
For park users, the immediate issue is that something left in a public space has already triggered police inquiries and a council response. The open question is who put the pig heads in Kilbroney Park and why.
