a day ago
I've lost everything, says Romanian wrongly arrested for Ballymena attempted rape
A Romanian in Ballymena has claimed he has 'lost everything' after he was wrongly arrested for the attempted rape of a schoolgirl.
He spoke after riots broke out in the Northern Ireland town following the appearance in court of two 14-year-old boys charged with attempted rape and who required a Romanian interpreter.
The father-of-two, named Alex, wrote on social media how his home and car were attacked by anti-immigrant rioters while he was in custody, according to the MailOnline.
The 28-year-old also said rioters returned to the property even after he was freed from custody without charge.
Alex said he and his wife had been forced into hiding, while his mother had taken his two daughters to Romania out of fear for their safety in Ballymena.
In a Facebook post translated from Romanian, the father wrote: 'I have lost everything because of false accusations.
'I lost my house where I lived, my car, all my belongings.
'But the biggest regret is that I lost the chance to offer my children a better future. And all this without having done anything wrong.'
The Romanian national went on to say: 'My family and I are not guilty, we all came for a better life, no one wants problems, we are modest people, people who fear God.'
Houses have been set alight and bricks, fireworks and petrol bombs have been thrown during scenes of disorder in Ballymena over recent days.
Residents previously told The Telegraph of long-running tensions with the Roma community – which came to a head following the boys' court appearance.
The scenes have been so frightening to some residents, non-Roma immigrants have resorted to putting up signs confirming their nationality, such as 'Filipino lives here'.
Meanwhile, others even displayed the King's Coronation memorabilia and crockery featuring Queen Elizabeth II, in a bid to deter thugs hunting for migrants.
On Thursday, three teenagers were charged with riot in relation to the disorder, with the youngest, 15, also charged with criminal damage.
In total, 15 people have been arrested and 41 police officers injured during the unrest, which was sparked by the alleged sexual assault of the girl.
In his Facebook post, Alex, who is also active on TikTok, also apologised if he had offended anyone in Northern Ireland with 'boastful' posts he had published on the social media platform.
In one TikTok reel that emerged after riots began in Ballymena he was shown blowing kisses to the camera before waving a giant wodge of cash outside the town's courthouse following an unrelated matter involving a family member.
Critics claimed it was then shared by one of his relatives who made provocative comments.
In another social media message, after his Audi was attacked, Alex wrote in Romanian: 'Plenty more fish [in the sea]' over a picture of the smashed-up luxury vehicle on his drive.
He wrote: 'I admit I am 'boastful'. That is my character and I apologise if I upset anyone. It was not my intention.'
In a statement that did not name the man, the Police Service of Northern Ireland said: 'A 28-year-old man was arrested on Monday June 9.
'He has been unconditionally released from police custody following questioning.'
