Garage helps out car owner after acid attack
By Maurice Garvey
A CRASH repair garage covered the labour costs of a damaged car, in solidarity with the difficult times the driver has gone through.
At the start of November, thugs poured acid over Ray Lynch’s Renault while it was parked in his driveway in Glenshane.
The damaged car after the acid was thrown on it
Ray’s brother was Stephen Lynch, an innocent young father who was murdered in April 2017 – deliberately run over by a car on Brookview Close.
Gardai launched a fresh appeal over Stephen’s murder in August, in an effort to find the driver of a silver Ford Focus, believed to be carrying four men at the time of the shocking incident.
Taking to social media following the senseless acid attack on his car, Ray was “heartbroken.”
“Can’t do right in this place, work your arse off to buy your car for what? For some scumbag to throw acid over it for amusement?”
Ian Coleman, owner of Auto Smart Repairs in Cherry Orchard, and a resident of Killinarden, told The Echo he knew of the family’s plight and when he discovered Ray’s car was damaged, he wanted to help out.
Auto Smart Repair owner Ian Coleman (left) with his daughter Aoife, and car owner Ray Lynch
“I knew Stephen to see. We covered the labour cost as a good deed. The damage was very bad. It had to be re-sprayed, very messy, it took a lot of work.”
It was all worth it on Saturday, when Ray saw the finished works.
“He was delighted and emotional when dropping the car back, which was brilliant from my point of view – that’s why I love my job,” said Ian.
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