Police Probe Pig Heads Left in County Down Park
A park used by families in County Down became the scene of a police inquiry after two real pig heads were left on display there. Officers have not said why, and they are not ruling anything out.
Police keep the motive open
The Police Service of Northern Ireland confirmed it is looking into the incident at Kilbroney Park in Rostrevor. A spokesperson said the items have been removed and enquiries are continuing to establish the circumstances.
Officers are approaching the case with an open mind about the motivation and are considering all potential lines of enquiry. They are also in touch with the local council.
Police are asking anyone who knows something to get in touch. People can call 101 and quote reference 326 31/10/26, or report online.
Two heads and a painted sign
The heads appeared on Saturday morning. One had been pushed onto a wooden stake, and the other was lying on the ground.
Next to them stood a sign. The words "here piggy piggy" had been sprayed on it in red paint.
Anger from a councillor and a dog walker
Mark Gibbons, an independent member of Newry, Mourne and Down District Council, described the scene as disturbing and disgusting. On Facebook he called it "vile, sickening and utterly disgraceful" and said Halloween was no excuse. He chose not to share a picture of the discovery, and asked people to imagine a child seeing it.
A man walking his dog in the park told the BBC he was shocked. Whatever the reason, he said, the display had crossed the line from harmless fun to something disgusting, and he called it unhygienic.
Park group asks people to stay away
On Saturday, Friends of the Meadow & Kilbroney Forest Park, Rostrevor, posted a notice about what it described as a disturbing discovery. It asked families with children and dog walkers to avoid the area for the time being, so that the authorities could deal with the situation.
The group condemned the behaviour without reservation. It described the meadow as a place the community shares, used by young and old.
Our View
The sign may mean someone wanted the display noticed, yet the police have given no reading of the motive. Halloween has come up in comments on it, though Gibbons rejected it as an excuse and officers have not endorsed it. Any answer is likely to come from the enquiries themselves, including whatever the police learn from witnesses.
Source: The Independent