Disorder in town after alleged sexual assault of girl
There has been disorder in Ballymena after crowds gathered near the location of an alleged sexual assault in the town.
Youths with their faces masked and wearing gloves could be seen throwing masonry.
A police car had what appeared to be two of its windows smashed.
On Clonavon Terrace, which was blocked off on both ends by police Land Rovers, windows of a house had been smashed.
In a statement, the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) said a "number of missiles have been thrown towards police with damage reported to a number of properties".
Officers are advising motorists and pedestrians to avoid the Clonavon Road area until further notice.
Ch Supt Sue Steen said: "We are urging everyone to remain calm and to act responsibly. Violence and disorder will only place people at greater risk".
Earlier, two teenage boys appeared before Coleraine Magistrates' Court accused of sexually assaulting a teenage girl in the County Antrim town.
On Monday night, hundreds of people gathered in Ballymena at a protest that was believed to be related to that ongoing court case.
The crowd of men, women and children gathered close to the town centre and marched along Larne Street and then Queen Street.
Teenage boys in court charged with attempted rape
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5 hours ago
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Public disorder breaks out in Northern Irish town, with missiles thrown at police
LONDON (Reuters) -Public disorder broke out in Ballymena town centre in Northern Ireland following a protest reportedly over an alleged sexual assault case on Monday, with police saying a number of missiles had been thrown towards officers. The unrest follows a protest in the area, about 45 km (30 miles) from the capital city of Belfast, earlier on Monday evening, the police statement said, adding damage was reported to a number of properties. Social media footage, purportedly showing the disorder, captured plumes of fire near what appeared to be residential buildings, with police present at the scene. Another clip appeared to show a masked man throwing an object at police vans as a crowd looked on. Reuters could not immediately verify the authenticity of these clips. "We are urging everyone to remain calm and to act responsibly," Chief Superintendent Sue Steen said in the police statement. BBC News reported that hundreds of protesters had gathered in Ballymena in response to a case involving two teenage boys who appeared before Coleraine Magistrates' Court earlier in the day, accused of sexually assaulting a teenage girl in the County Antrim town. Irish media outlet RTE News reported that the teenagers, who it said are Romanian and spoke through an interpreter, cannot be identified because of their ages. A separate police statement from Sunday said two teenage boys had been charged with attempted rape in connection with a serious sexual assault on a teenage girl in Ballymena on Saturday evening.
Yahoo
7 hours ago
- Yahoo
Disorder in town after alleged sexual assault of girl
There has been disorder in Ballymena after crowds gathered near the location of an alleged sexual assault in the town. Youths with their faces masked and wearing gloves could be seen throwing masonry. A police car had what appeared to be two of its windows smashed. On Clonavon Terrace, which was blocked off on both ends by police Land Rovers, windows of a house had been smashed. In a statement, the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) said a "number of missiles have been thrown towards police with damage reported to a number of properties". Officers are advising motorists and pedestrians to avoid the Clonavon Road area until further notice. Ch Supt Sue Steen said: "We are urging everyone to remain calm and to act responsibly. Violence and disorder will only place people at greater risk". Earlier, two teenage boys appeared before Coleraine Magistrates' Court accused of sexually assaulting a teenage girl in the County Antrim town. On Monday night, hundreds of people gathered in Ballymena at a protest that was believed to be related to that ongoing court case. The crowd of men, women and children gathered close to the town centre and marched along Larne Street and then Queen Street. Teenage boys in court charged with attempted rape
Yahoo
18 hours ago
- Yahoo
Teenage boys in court charged with attempted rape
Two 14-year-old boys have appeared in court after a serious sexual assault on a teenage girl in County Antrim. The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) said it happened in Clonavon Terrace, in Ballymena, on Saturday. Both boys are charged with attempted oral rape and both deny the charges. They confirmed their names and ages through a Romanian interpreter at Coleraine Magistrates' Court on Monday morning. The teenagers, who were sitting side-by-side, appeared by videolink from Woodlands Juvenile Centre wearing grey tracksuits. A police constable said she believed she could connect the pair to the charge. There was no application for bail but a defence solicitor told the court that both boys deny the charge. They were remanded in custody until 2 July when they are due to appear by videolink at the youth court at Ballymena Magistrates' Court.
