East Belfast: Couple forced out of home after sectarian attack

Police received a report of a car being damaged in the east of the city shortly after 20.00 BST on Friday

A couple living in east Belfast have said they will not return to their home after they were attacked in what police are calling a hate crime.

Sectarian abuse was shouted at the couple and the woman said she was hit on the head with a traffic cone.

They have criticised the police, arguing they were too slow to respond after they told them they were being attacked.

Police said the response time was just under one hour.

They said they received a report of a car being damaged in the east of the city shortly after 20.00 BST on 24 June.

"We lived there peacefully for two years, I loved it there, it was our home," the woman said.

"We can't ever go back there."

BBC News NI is not identifying the couple, who first told their story to The Irish News, at their request over concerns for their safety.

'Overly careful'

The man said he had "discreetly" tried to hide his religious background and believed that the only connection would be his playing of hurling in a close-by park.

However, even with this he said that he never wore GAA clothing and carried his hurl in a hockey bag.

"I would have said he was overly careful but I was wrong and he was right," said his partner.

The first sign of trouble came when the couple's door was kicked in while they were away on holiday.

On Friday, the man said he had been in the back garden when he heard a crash and people shouting on the street.

"I heard someone saying: 'That's the fenian's car isn't it, I just kicked the fenian's wing mirror in' ".

"I am the only, or I assume the only 'fenian' living there, so I went out to investigate and there was no one about, but there was a big dent in the door with a footprint in it and the wing mirror had been done in."

The couple said a traffic cone was thrown at them as they closed their door

He said he spoke to police in the area but they were "very unhelpful".

However, his partner spoke with another officer who confirmed it was a hate crime and stated help would be on the way.

The couple returned home.

"About 10 or 15 minutes after that, I saw a big group converging of about 15 to 20 youths," the man said.

He said he believed those in the group were responsible for the damage to his car and he confronted them, but was soon surrounded.

'Worst experience of my life'

"We thought that the police would be there any minute because we had just told them that we had been the victims of a hate crime and they agreed and they were two minutes down the road," said his partner.

"He [her partner] started shouting: 'Get back in the house, get back in the house'. I was more worried for him because I didn't think they would touch me."

Both managed to get back to the house, however, just before they could close the door an "older teenager" threw a traffic cone from the street at the woman.

"We managed to get the door closed and that is why I am sitting here with a black eye", she said.

"It was the worst experience of my life, I am a young woman, I am petit, I have never been hit in any capacity."

The couple said they made multiple calls to police with further damage done to their car and sectarian comments being shouted in the street before officers arrived.

Police confirmed enquiries were ongoing to establish the circumstances of the incident, which is currently being treated as a hate crime.

They said they were aware of ongoing issues of anti-social behaviour and youths causing annoyance and damage in the area.

To combat this, officers will be conducting focused patrolling in the coming days to deter such activity.

Police assisted the couple to leave the property on Saturday.