Republican News · Thursday 7 August 2003

Woman attacked for befriending Catholics

Members of South Antrim UDA beat and kicked a 31-year-old Protestant mother so hard she lost her unborn baby, because she had Catholic friends.

Mary Norris told of the nightmare at around 10.45pm on Sunday night 27 July when seven masked UDA men smashed their way into her Rathcoole home, destroying everything in their way and stealing £800 in savings.

Norris said her attackers, who wore balaclavas and were carrying batons, repeatedly called her a "Fenian loving bastard" throughout the attack.

"As soon as they came into the house they shouted everyone down and began to punch and kick me," she said. "I was terrified; the guy who was beating me was determined to do damage because he kicked the kitchen table out of the way so he could have a better go at me. They kept calling me a fenian loving bastard during the attack. That's all they said."

Norris added the South Antrim UDA have gave her 24 hours to get out of South East Antrim or else.

A defiant Norris said: "I'm not ashamed to say my two best friends are Catholics and I'm not going to stop seeing them because some senior loyalist tells me to."