Family of girl 'sexually assaulted by Romanian teens' plead with Ballymena rioters to end violence as town braces for fourth night of chaos

Daily Mail​

a day ago

The family of the girl who was allegedly sexually assaulted by Romanian teens, has pleaded with rioters in Ballymena to end the violence after three nights of chaos.
Northern Ireland 's police chief Jon Boutcher said the young girl who was the victim of an alleged sexual assault in Ballymena at the weekend had been 'further traumatised' by the rioting that has been witnessed since Monday.
The alleged sexual assault of the girl by Romanian teens triggered protests which descended into violence throughout the week.
Mr Boutcher, who met with the girl's family on Thursday, delivered a stark message to the rioters as he spoke to the media in Belfast following a meeting with his oversight body, the Northern Ireland Policing Board.
He said that 80 officers from Scotland were due to arrive today, as the town braces itself for a fourth night of rioting.
It comes as three teenagers have appeared in court today in connection with riots this week.
'Stop this violence,' he said. 'We will come after you. We will arrest you. We will prosecute you successfully. It is not in any way a way for a civilised society to behave and it must stop now.
'I want to specifically mention the 41 police officers who've been injured. Each of those officers have put themselves in harm's way to protect our communities.
'And I want to send a very clear message to all our diverse communities: we stand absolutely shoulder to shoulder with you. We are here to protect you.
'We are your police service, and these bigots and racists will not win the day. This will be policed properly. We will deal with this - and we all know that in this room - but let's call an end to it now.
'This girl's family and this girl want it to end. Our communities want it to end. We need it to end. So please don't come out on the streets tonight. If you do, we will police you and we will deal with you through the criminal justice system.
Mr Boutcher added that he would "always be concerned" the unrest would spread to other towns.
Earlier, a judge warned that courts will deal 'robustly' with those involved in violence in Ballymena.
District Judge Nigel Broderick warned that young people who got involved were risking a significant custodial sentence as three teenagers faced rioting charges at the town's magistrates' court on Thursday.
Michael Elliot, 18, of Lanntara, Ballymena, and two youths were the first defendants to appear in court since the sustained violence erupted in the County Antrim town on Monday.
The officer told the court that Elliott was arrested at 11.50pm on Tuesday night following an incident where a house on Bridge Street had been set on fire.
The detective constable said it was originally believed the occupants were still inside the property.
Elliott was detained after he was seen running from the scene, the court was told.
He was wearing gloves and a balaclava, the court heard.
During police interview he had made admissions to the offence of riotous assembly, the detective said.
He told police during interview he had become involved in the disorder because others were involved and blamed the situation on police.
The detective constable said there was 'strong public feeling' currently within Ballymena.
He said police believed it is important that courts send out a 'strong message'.
He said if the court did not, there was a risk of further disorder that could lead to 'death or serious injury' for foreign nationals living in Ballymena.
A defence solicitor said his client's involvement was limited to 'throwing stones'.
The district judge told Elliott he was a young man who now found himself in the dock in court.
He said the court would deal 'robustly' with those where there was evidence they were involved in the disorder.
The judge refused an application for bail.
He said: 'Your case should be an example to others who are considering getting involved in further public disorder.'
The judge said there was a high likelihood that those who were charged over rioting would be refused bail and would face a significant custodial sentence if convicted.
He remanded Elliott in custody until July 10.
A 15-year-old boy and a 17-year-old boy also appeared in the dock charged with riotous assembly and criminal damage.
Both were rejected bail and remanded to appear at a youth court on June 18.
The riotous behaviour saw vandalism, vehicles burned and arson attacks on a number of properties across several towns.
Forty-one officers have been injured in the unrest which has also resulted in 13 arrests by lunchtime on Thursday.
Petrol bombs, fireworks, masonry and a hatchet were among items thrown at officers over the three nights of disorder.
Police responded with with water cannon, dogs and plastic baton rounds in an attempt to disperse crowds in the town.
PSNI chief Mr Boutcher said the initial lawful and legitimate process before unrest broke out was done in a way that was responsible and empathetic to the victim.
However, he said the protest was subsequently 'hijacked' and turned into 'wanton, disgraceful criminal behaviour that is absolutely race motivated'.
The chief said the service was under-resourced and needed to be funded 'properly' rather than 'disgracefully'.
However, he said his officers would still bring people to justice: 'We've put our public order inquiry team together, we'll be releasing images of those responsible. We will be going after them.'
The head officer described how PSNI members helped evacuate foreign national families who were hiding in attics and wardrobes in their homes in Ballymena as rioters went on the rampage on Monday night.
He said the families targeted had done nothing wrong.
'They are not criminals. They contribute positively to society here and are well integrated,' he said.
'They are valued members of society in Northern Ireland.
'Fire Service colleagues described how they went to the scenes to stop arson attacks at those addresses, and how they, in all their years in the Fire Service, have not seen levels of violence to that level, and told me specifically and directly of the bravery, the courage of a very thin green line of police officers that without doubt, in my view, saved lives that night.'
Secretary of State Hilary Benn described the scenes as 'mindless racist thuggery' while Stormont Justice Minister Naomi Long said it has been a 'three-day festival of hate and destruction' which needs to stop before someone loses their life.
Thirty minutes from Ballymena, a leisure centre in Larne was subjected to arson after temporarily being used as an emergency shelter for those in urgent need following disturbances in the town earlier in the week.
Communities Minister Gordon Lyons, who highlighted the use of the building in a social media post, said all those who had been staying at the leisure centre are in the care of the Housing Executive and have been moved out of Larne.
Northern Ireland's First Minister Michelle O'Neill said Mr Lyons should resign over his social media post while the leader of the opposition in the Northern Ireland Assembly SDLP MLA Matthew O'Toole said he would refer the Communities Minister to the standards commission.
Mr Benn also asked the minister to 'reflect upon his words' and 'not upon his position'.
Mr Lyons has resisted calls for his resignation and said he would 'strongly hit back at any notion' that he had publicly revealed the facility was being used to house immigrant families who had been affected by violence in Ballymena.