Teen had knife in Laois church grounds at First Holy Communion
St Peter and Paul's Church, Portlaoise
A TEENAGER with a large kitchen knife was arrested in church grounds during a First Holy Communion ceremony in Portlaoise.
The disturbing incident happened at SS Peter and Paul’s Church, just as the ceremony ended on Saturday 17 May.
People congregating outside the church were shocked when they saw a young male holding a large knife, when children were walking out after the ceremony at about 3pm.
Two gardaí were in the area at the time and the teenager was arrested at the scene immediately.
Portlaoise gardaí confirmed that a juvenile male, aged about 16, was arrested in the grounds of the church and a kitchen knife was recovered. Fortunately, nobody was injured during the alarming incident.
The teenager was interviewed by gardaí and an investigation was carried out. A file on the matter has been sent to the garda juvenile liaison officer (JLO).
