Irish Republican News · October 31, 2003

Loyalists terrorise pensioner

An elderly widow's home has been attacked by loyalists for what may be the the fifteenth such attack in recent years.

Ellen Denvir, who lives alone, said it was a ``terrible shock'' when her Newtownabbey home came under the paint-bomb attack.

Loyalists from nearby Rathcoole were understood to have carried out the attack. The 75-year-old widow said she felt ``shaken inside and angry'' after her home was targeted in the early hours of yesterday.

A window was smashed when a number of paint bombs hit the pensioner's windows. The living room curtains, radiators and a television were spattered with glass and red and blue paint.

Mrs Denvir said that she was in bed after 1am when she what she thought was smashing glass.

``I got up and looked through an opening in the blind. There were five or six people out the front of the house, so I knew something had happened,'' she said.

Mrs Denvir and her family were forced to move to the area from Rathcoole over 30 years ago. Since that time, she estimates her home has been attacked between 10 and 15 times.

``They have an easy getaway from here, it's just two minutes from the main road,'' she said.

``I live alone here, I'm 75 years old. I trust in God that I won't have to move house again. I'm very attached to here - it's my home.

``All my children have been around and they're all very upset with what's happened''.

Her son Colin lives within a 100 yards of his mother's house. He said the living room windows had been reinforced since the last attack

``What can you say? Why can't a woman my mother's age be left in peace? The only interest she has is her home and these people are going out of their way to damage it,'' he said.

``It's not personal, it's just because she's a Catholic.''

Sinn Fein's Martin Meehan accused the UDA of organising the attack.

``There's no doubt this is UDA-orientated. The people responsible for this will say they it's for God and Ulster. Well help Ulster,'' he said.

Also during the attack, a shop nearby was targeted by petrol bombers.

One car was destroyed and two others were damaged when an estimated five devices were thrown.

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