Attempted murder on Belfast youth
A gang of five loyalists ambushed a 17-year-old Catholic youth, Patrick
O'Connor from Poleglass, as he travelled home from his friends in Twinbrook
at 10pm on Sunday night, 30 May.
The youth was ambushed at the footbridge over the Stewartstown Road by the
loyalists, who demanded to know if he was a ``Fenian'' then began to
seriously assault him after they discovered him wearing a Celtic top.
The loyalists forced the young lad to drink cider and poured some of the
alcohol over him before threatening to smash the bottles across his head.
The beating they gave Patrick was so severe that he was left unconscious.
Two other young men who discovered Patrick over an hour later, brought him
home from where he was taken to hospital.
He was diagnosed as suffering concussion and severe bruising and was found
to have high levels of alcohol in his blood.
Patrick's grandfather told An Phoblacht that this is the second time
loyalists have targeted his family. His son and Patrick's uncle, Gerard
McLaughlin, was shot dead by loyalists in 1975.
He also said that this is the second such assault in the area in the past
two weeks.
Sinn Féin councillor for the area Michael Ferguson has warned young people
to be vigilant.
![[An Phoblacht]](http://republican-news.org/graphics/title_gifs/aprn.gif)