Republican News · Thursday 6 February 2002

Woman's home attacked

A Catholic woman who is deaf and dumb has been forced to leave her home in Larne, County Antrim, after unionist paramilitaries ransacked her flat on Tuesday night 28 January.

The UDA gang ransacked 30-year-old Dorothy Quinn's flat in Larne's Anteville estate and subjected the young woman, who lives alone, to a harrowing ordeal as the they smashed nine windows, threw two televisions out of the windows, damaged the bathroom and scattered paint all around the flat.

The loyalist gang told her to get out of the estate. She is now waiting to be rehoused but is adamant she wont return to the Antiville estate.

In the past, An Phoblacht has reported that UDA roams the town of Larne in gangs hunting for Catholics, while the PSNI turns a blind eye.

Concerted informer drive by PSNI

A young man living in the Glens of Antrim was approached by members of the PSNI was asked to act as an informer. In exchange, the PSNI offered to drop alleged traffic offences against him.

The man has told how PSNI officers approached him about the alleged traffic offences and said they didn't want to throw the book at him. When the young man asked what they meant, he was told "if you scratch our backs we'll scratch yours; we give you something, you give us something".

The young man told the PSNI he had nothing to give to them at which the PSNI member replied, "I'll leave it with you then" and left without pursuing the alleged traffic offence any further.

The man later contacted local Sinn Fein representatives who advised him to contact a solicitor and seek legal advice.

Sinn Fein councillor for North Antrim Philip McGuigan said the incident is "only the tip of the iceberg in the concerted effort by the PSNI to recruit informers over the past few months.

"Only last week a second young man was approached by two plain clothes PSNI members in Cushendall."

South Derry nationalists warned to be vigilant

South Derry nationalists have been urged to be vigilant after an incident last week when a shot was fired into a pub in the village of Clady at around 4.45 on Wednesday 29 January.

The attack was carried out in front of schoolchildren who were waiting to be picked up by their parents after finishing school.

Magherafelt Sinn Féin Councillor Seamus O'Neill said unionist paramilitaries were responsible. "Four men drove up to the public house and fired a single shot at the premises," he said. "Luckily no one was injured; any schoolchild waiting for their parents could have been hurt."