7 January 1999 Edition
UVF attacks
South Belfast Sinn Fein councillor Sean Hayes has said that UVF members from Donegall Pass were involved in a series of sectarian attacks over the Christmas period which have left a Catholic man from East Belfast critically ill in hospital. In a separate incident loyalists attempted to fire on two men with a handgun but the weapon jammed and they escaped.
The East Belfast man was found lying in Joy Street at around 10.20 pm on New Year's Day having suffered serious knife wounds to his back, chest and neck. He has lost his spleen and his other wounds are badly infected.
Hayes said that when the RUC arrived at the scene of the attack they refused to listen to local people who insisted that the attack was sectarian.
``Loyalists had been spotted cruising the area on a number of occasions over the past week or so and there has been an upsurge in loyalist activity in the area. The RUC dismissed the views of the locals saying they believed it was a local thing. If it had been a fight among local people everyone would know it, it is just too small a community for that type of thing to be kept quiet,'' Hayes said.
After the RUC left the scene of the incident local people found a knife that may have been used by the gang.
``The RUC say they found a knife at the scene which is now being forensically tested, but the knife, which was covered in blood, was found by local people who handed it to a local priest who in turn handed it to the RUC,'' said Hayes.
In a previous incident when loyalists were spotted in the district, which is just across from the Markets area, local people confronted them.
Hayes said, ``the RUC arrived and the loyalists approached them and asked to be taken out of the area. The RUC allowed them into their jeep and took them away''.
This was on Wednesday 30 December. On Sunday December 27 three men making their way from a pub on the Lower Ormeau Road were ambushed by two loyalists at the bottom of the Donegall Pass. As the three defended themselves three other men came out of hiding, one of whom was armed.
The men made a run for it but one fell to the ground and was severely beaten.
``There have been at least five incidents in the area over the holiday period. Nationalists need to be very alert and with the information telling us that the UVF in Donegall Pass are behind the attacks the need for caution is all the more important,'' said Hayes.
The East Belfast man was found lying in Joy Street at around 10.20 pm on New Year's Day having suffered serious knife wounds to his back, chest and neck. He has lost his spleen and his other wounds are badly infected.
Hayes said that when the RUC arrived at the scene of the attack they refused to listen to local people who insisted that the attack was sectarian.
``Loyalists had been spotted cruising the area on a number of occasions over the past week or so and there has been an upsurge in loyalist activity in the area. The RUC dismissed the views of the locals saying they believed it was a local thing. If it had been a fight among local people everyone would know it, it is just too small a community for that type of thing to be kept quiet,'' Hayes said.
After the RUC left the scene of the incident local people found a knife that may have been used by the gang.
``The RUC say they found a knife at the scene which is now being forensically tested, but the knife, which was covered in blood, was found by local people who handed it to a local priest who in turn handed it to the RUC,'' said Hayes.
In a previous incident when loyalists were spotted in the district, which is just across from the Markets area, local people confronted them.
Hayes said, ``the RUC arrived and the loyalists approached them and asked to be taken out of the area. The RUC allowed them into their jeep and took them away''.
This was on Wednesday 30 December. On Sunday December 27 three men making their way from a pub on the Lower Ormeau Road were ambushed by two loyalists at the bottom of the Donegall Pass. As the three defended themselves three other men came out of hiding, one of whom was armed.
The men made a run for it but one fell to the ground and was severely beaten.
``There have been at least five incidents in the area over the holiday period. Nationalists need to be very alert and with the information telling us that the UVF in Donegall Pass are behind the attacks the need for caution is all the more important,'' said Hayes.