Republican News · Thursday 21 February 2002

Teenager stabbed by loyalists

The father of a 17-year-old youth stabbed by loyalists in Glengormley earlier this month has voiced his anger at the attitude of the RUC/PSNI to what he says was the attempted murder of his son.

The father, who did not wish to be named, told An Phoblacht that his son was stabbed in the back on Saturday 9 February after he was assaulted by a gang of loyalists near the Derry Road in Glengormley. After the attack, however, an RUC/PSNI patrol arrived on the scene and questioned the youth, as if he had committed a crime.

The only action the RUC/PSNI took at the scene was to shine a torch on the teenager's back to confirm that he was wounded and then jot down some details of the incident, the father said. "We went to the RUC/PSNI after our son was released from hospital and gave a statement and ten days later they have yet to visit the house. They didn't even come to take the clothes he was wearing for forensic testing."

The teenager described the attack, which took place near the junction of the Derry and Hightown Roads, an area where loyalists have carried out numerous attacks on Catholics.

"I was going into Glengormley at about 10.30pm on Saturday night to get something to eat before going home when I saw a gang of loyalists at Harmin (a loyalist estate). I turned back to where my friends were waiting when more loyalists came out from the Derry Road. One of them hit me and I went down. As I lay on the ground they gave me a hiding and it was a this point I was stabbed. They were shouting all the usual sectarian abuse at me as they attacked me."

The wound required three stitches inside the wound and a further six outside.

Sinn Féin councillor Breige Meehan has called on politicians and community workers in the unionist community to do what they can to ensure that those in their community intent on carrying out these attacks are rejected.