NI election 2022: Kellie Armstrong left physically sick by abusive images

Alliance's Kellie Armstrong said she had been left feeling "physically sick" on Saturday

A Northern Ireland politician said she was left physically sick after receiving images of aborted foetuses moments after being elected.

Police said they were investigating the messages received by Kellie Armstrong.

The Alliance politician, who has spoken about suffering 13 miscarriages, had to leave the count centre to compose herself after receiving the images.

It is one of a number of incidents involving female election candidates currently under investigation.

Following the historic election result, Alliance climbed from the fifth to the third largest party at Stormont: Ms Armstrong is one of its 17 Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs).

Sinn Féin, having won 27 seats, is now the largest party and entitled to nominate the first nationalist or republican first minister.

However, the Democratic Unionist Party, which with 25 seats is the largest unionist party, must nominate a deputy first minister to serve alongside in the joint office, for a power-sharing executive to be formed.

'Tears were shed'

Ms Armstrong said it had been a "particularly vicious" election campaign for women candidates.

She topped the poll in the Strangford constituency and was the first MLA elected on Saturday.

She said she had been checking her emails and social media messages shortly after her election was announced.

Kellie Armstrong, seen here celebrating with Alliance Party leader Naomi Long, was the first MLA elected in Thursday's historic election

"I opened what I thought was just another message, making sure I was covering off anything constituents were in contact about," she said.

"There were a lot of congratulatory messages coming through, and then I saw the images."

"I don't need taken back to a time when I was seeing my own children who had died in that sort of state."

It is not the first time such images have been used to target her online, she told BBC Radio Foyle.

"Anytime I see that it makes me feel physically sick, and I have been sick in the past," she said.

"Emotionally, you can imagine it brings you right back to a grief of the time that you suffered the loss. It's very tough, tears were shed.

"My lost children are never far from my mind anyway, it just shows the sort of viciousness these trolls have and what they think they have the right to send people."

• GOVERNMENT CRISIS: What happens next?

• HISTORIC MOMENT: From IRA politics to NI's biggest party

• SINN FEIN: What does the party want?

• THE ASSEMBLY: How power-sharing works in Northern Ireland

• RESULTS: The assembly election in maps and charts

• POSTCODE SEARCH: What are the results in my area?

Speaking on Tuesday, Ms Armstrong said any kind of bullying online was "abhorrent" and must be brought to a stop.

"Social media providers must step up to ensure no-one who targets anybody through abuse or other malicious communications can hide. The PSNI must also be able to prosecute intentional and targeted hate campaigns," she said.

Police have confirmed a number of further investigations are under way into complaints made about the online abuse of female election candidates.

Diane Forsythe said she suffered vile abuse during the campaign

Newly-elected South Down DUP MLA Diane Forsythe described a false video circulated about her online during the election campaign as "disturbing and vile".

"It was very misogynistic in nature and when it came to my attention I went to the police," she said.

"It was absolutely horrific to think I was facing this and my first reaction was shielding my children from the nature of it. We really need to be fighting back against these type of people, it is just not acceptable."

Alliance MLA Sorcha Eastwood said that on the eve of polling day she was contacted by a number of constituents informing her there had been "defamatory material" published online about her.

Alongside this, she was also contacted 30 times in a 24-hour period with the caller leaving "disgusting voice messages".

"It just happened that I was with my husband at the time and he was there to support me but that's also distressing to him and it's also distressing to my family," she said.

"I think when you look at the other women who were candidates in this election, it's been absolutely disgusting the physical attacks on them, really horrendous abuse and threats sent to them right across the parties."

She called on her fellow MLAs to "unite together".

SDLP MLA Cara Hunter has also made a complaint to police

Speaking to BBC Radio Foyle, Ms Forsythe said she had also reached out to SDLP MLA Cara Hunter, who has reported a similar experience.

Ms Hunter told the Belfast Telegraph the final weeks of the campaign had been "the worst of her life" after a false video was circulated about her.

The East Londonderry MLA has previously spoken about being abused online.

A PSNI spokesperson said police were "investigating thoroughly all incidents which have been reported" to them by election candidates and any identified suspects will be liable to prosecution.