Man escapes death in sectarian attack

A 40-year-old nationalist man who was set upon by loyalists last weekend says he was lucky to escape with his life.

The man was attacked at around 3am on Saturday morning, 27 May as he returned to his home near Abbeyville, Newtownabbey on the northern outskirts of Belfast.

His assailants used iron bars in the attack and directed most blows at his head.

He has had 35 staples inserted to various head injuries and needed 25 stitches to facial wounds. He also suffered a broken ankle.

The man believes the loyalists, who shouted sectarian abuse as they beat him, were intent on killing him because they targeted his head.

"I was walking up the laneway, going home, when these three men jumped from the hedges and began hitting me with iron bars. They would have known I was a Catholic because of where I was going", he said.

The man has no idea why his assailants fled but noticed that as they ran towards the main Carrickfergus Road a car pulled up and the loyalists jumped in.