Loyalists linked to ‘heartless’ sectarian attack on nine-year-old disabled boy’s new home in housing estate – The Irish News

An Antrim woman has branded a loyalist gang who carried out a sectarian attack on the new home of her disabled nine-year-old great-grandson as “cowards” and “criminals”.

Pauline O’Loan spoke out after two properties – including a bungalow built specifically for disabled Jessy Clark – were the victims of a hate crime described by police as being sectarian in nature.

At around 3am on Sunday, windows were smashed and paint bombs were thrown at two properties in Reford Grove, Antrim.

One of the buildings was built specifically for Jessy, who suffers from spina bifida and has a number of other complex medical needs.

The boy, who uses a wheelchair, is expected to move into the specially converted house in the next few days together with his younger sisters (aged seven and two) and their mother.

The purpose-built building has been adapted to Jessy’s medical needs and features a hoist and widened doors.

His mother, who is currently on vacation, received the keys to the family’s new home last Wednesday.

Ms O’Loan told The Irish News on Sunday that the PSNI contacted the child’s mother by telephone the following day and warned her not to move into the property “because something could happen to them”.

She said the family now lives in fear.

A house in the nearby Chaine Court area recently had its windows smashed and the message “Locals Only” written on it, and a crosshair was spray-painted on a boarded wall attached to the building.

Controversy erupted last week after it was revealed that Union and Ulster flags had been flown and kerbs painted red, white and blue in the new mixed-use development where the homes affected at the weekend are located off Belfast Road.

The residential project is located close to the Ballycraigy estate.

In a statement, police said that “four darkly dressed individuals” ran into the Reford Grove housing development and threw objects.

Police added that two windows in both buildings were broken and paint damage occurred.

A PSNI spokesman said: “We are treating this incident of vandalism as a cult-motivated hate crime,” adding that they have a “zero tolerance approach to those who seek to spread fear or incite and promote hatred.”

Ms O’Loan said those responsible had “no empathy” and described them as “heartless”.

“They are the most uneducated cowards, because if they had a job they wouldn’t be running around at three in the morning being such… thugs,” she said.

Ms O’Loan said she did not know who was responsible, but said she had been contacted by people from loyalist backgrounds who condemned the attack.

“The perpetrators are led by an evil force behind it and they believe that if they break a window, people will run away,” she added.

She added that her family fears for her safety.

“We fear for our lives. Would anyone put their children in such danger?” she said.

“I want this to be condemned and the threats to be lifted. I demand this so that Jessy is safe and the other children can go to Jessy’s house safely.

“Jessy has nowhere else to go, no other accommodation can take Jessy in.”

Ms O’Loan reiterated the call for any threat to be lifted “so that this child can bathe and shower instead of being trapped in a hospital bed 24/7, unable to get out because he has no room to move.”

“The child sits in bed 24/7 except when he goes to school, and now in the summer he is inside 24/7. He can’t even go through the living room door to the kitchen, he just has to sit in bed and play his game,” she said.

“His mom can’t lift him, she has to send for his uncle or someone else to lift him.”

“It’s just sad that the child is sitting in a bed and trapped in a room.”