A schoolgirl was ‘dragged into a garage while she was walking down a street in Ballymena by three men and raped’, a court heard today as details emerged of the assault which sparked rioting
A schoolgirl had been walking on a street when she was allegedly dragged into a garage by three men and raped, a court has heard.
Details have emerged for the first time in court over a girl from Ballymena, Northern Ireland, who was allegedly raped and sexually assaulted in June. Two of the suspects were quickly arrested by police within hours but Ballymena Youth Court heard a third suspect has fled the country. This alleged rape and sexual assault ignited “racist” protestors to riot and unleash chaos on the streets of Ballymena, with some throwing petrol bombs, fireworks and bricks in horror scenes, according to police.
A 14-year-old Romanian boy was arrested and has applied for bail. This teen and another 14-year-old boy are currently being remanded in custody after they were charged with attempted rape.
The court today heard the third suspect fled back to Romania and had not been caught by cops yet. A detective constable told the court the girl’s grandmother called the police in June and said the schoolgirl “had been raped by three Bulgarian males in a garage in Harryville”, according to the Sunday World.
The girl then told police she had been walking on the street but “three males grabbed her and took her to a garage down an alleyway”. This schoolgirl then said there were two mattresses inside this alley and claimed she was put onto one.
The court then heard the detective constable say two of the three men had their genitals out while they “started touching themselves”. The detective constable then claimed one man – who fled the UK – “raped her” while the two 14-year-old’s tried to sexually assault her.
The policewoman said: “She said this went on for about 10 minutes, but when they heard a male voice outside, the three ran off.” The court heard the young girl was allegedly then able to leave.
The detective constable also told the court the 14-year-old who made a bail application, who cannot be named due to his age, denied the charges against him and did not answer police questions.
The cop also told the court: “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.” The judge adjourned the bail case and the other 14-year-old boy’s case to August 6.
Northern Ireland’s Justice Minister Naomi Long, at the time the riots after the two boys were arrested, said she was “appalled” by the violence inflicted on attending officers and locals.
She said: “I am absolutely appalled by the disturbing scenes in Ballymena yesterday evening during which PSNI officers were injured, residents terrorised, and properties damaged. There is absolutely no place in our society for such disorder and there can be no justification for it.”
The police service said its officers came under “sustained attack” from masked rioters and had items like fireworks, petrol bombs, bricks, and heavy masonry launched at them in the June unrest. PSNI Assistant Chief Constable Ryan Henderson said the violence was a result of “racist thuggery, pure and simple”.