16-07-2025
Schoolgirl was 'dragged into garage and raped by Romanian teen as two others tried to make her perform sex acts' before Ballymena riots, court hears
A schoolgirl in Ballymena was walking along a street in the town when she was dragged into a garage and allegedly raped and sexually assaulted by three males, a court heard today.
It is the latest development in the case which precipitated three days of street violence and in the County Antrim town in Northern Ireland last month.
Ballymena Youth Court also heard that while two of her alleged assailants were arrested within hours of the incident on June 7, a third suspect has fled back to Romania.
Details emerged in court for the first time as a 14-year-old Romanian boy, who cannot be identified because of his age, applied for bail.
Both that defendant, and another 14-year-old, are on remand in custody charged with attempted rape.
It was hours after the pair first appeared in court on June 9 that serious rioting and public disorder erupted in Ballymena and Romanian families fled their homes on Clonavon Terrace.
Three nights of serious trouble saw houses attacked and cars burned with Police Service of Northern Ireland riot squads facing an angry mob hurling missiles, including petrol bombs, fireworks, masonry and bottles.
Giving evidence in the contested application today, Detective Constable Sinclair told the court the girl's grandmother contacted police that evening, to report that her granddaughter 'had been raped by three males in a garage in Harryville', an area close to the town centre.
When police attended and spoke to the schoolgirl, she told them she was walking along the street when 'three males grabbed her and took her to a garage down an alleyway'.
The police officer told the court that inside the garage, the girl saw two mattresses 'and she was put on one'.
He added that while two of the men tried to force the girl to perform sex acts on them, the third male who has since absconded 'raped her'.
DC Sinclair continued: 'She said that this went on for about 10 minutes but when they heard a male voice outside, the three ran off.'
At that stage, the complainant 'was able to leave the garage and get help' and based on the information provided by the teenager, police attended an address on Clonavon Terrace where the two 14-year-olds were arrested. The court heard they 'matched the description' given by the alleged victim.
DC Sinclair said the bail applicant 'denied any criminal activity' and then refused to answer police questions during his interviews.
Turning to bail objections, the investigator told District Judge Trevor Browne 'police have strong concerns that there's a risk he may leave the jurisdiction'.
She said: 'Within hours of the defendant being arrested, a co-accused who had been identified, left the country and we believe he is residing in Romania.
'We believe that, given the significant public disorder that descended after the incident, there's a risk that if released, this defendant will leave the jurisdiction and we are not content that any conditions can be put in place to prevent that.'
She added that while a proposed bail address outside of Ballymena had been put forward by the defence, there were also concerns about that as well.
DC Sinclair explained that while the occupant had been put forward as a relative, she told officers who spoke to her that 'she was a friend of the family' rather than a relative.
The officer added that police had also ascertained there were three children living in the property, including a 14-year-old girl.
It was also a concern, said DC Sinclair, that another family with a young child appeared to be living in the house, a property she described as being 'in a poor state of repair'.
The officer concluded: 'Police do not believe that any conditions will satisfy [their concerns] and we are aware that there's an opportunity to surrender passports and ID cards, however, we believe there are other ways of leaving the country.'
Defence counsel Conn O'Neill lamented that none of those concerns had been raised with the defence before the hearing, adding that had they been 'we could have dealt with them'.
Highlighting that the defendant had voluntarily undergone DNA testing and an identity parade, he suggested that given the multitude of objections from the police, that the court adjourn the bail application.
Judge Browne told the barrister: 'I completely agree, with the best will in the world, the application just disintegrated before our very eyes.
'We are all mindful that he is a 14-year-old boy with no previous convictions and there is a working presumption in favour of bail... but it would not be fair to force you on without giving you the opportunity to address this important obstacle.'
In adjourning the bail application, the judge adjourned both cases to August 6.
By way of an update, the prosecutor told the judge the case had been expedited, that the complainant has completed her Achieving Best Evidence video interview with the police and that the 'target date for completion of the full file is the end of September'.
