Town centre thugs attack student visitor

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'They had hatred in their eyes': victim

Youths in Newtownards are 'out of control' and 'run riot at night', is the message from four visitors, who experienced the worst the town has to offer.

Four students from Lisburn will never forget Saturday night, May 8.

Police in Newtownards are being urged to crack down on under age drinkers, after 20 youths violently attacked the student visitors in the heart of the town.

At around 10.30pm that Saturday, a gang of 15 to 17 year olds set upon the quartet, as they sat eating pizza beside the Blair Mayne statue in Conway Square.

The gang, who were drinking in The Square, orchestrated the attack, smashed CCTV cameras and mustered support from other youths.

Richard, who asked us not to publish his surname, and his three friends stopped in Newtownards on their way home after a day trip to Helen's Bay, because 'it looked quiet'.

The friends parked beside The Square and sat on a bench to eat their pizza. At around 10.30pm, five young people began shouting abuse at them.

One of the students, who is too scared to be named, recounted what happened next: "We were just sitting on the bench, happily eating our pizza when we noticed some youths walking towards us. We didn't pay them much attention, but one started acting confrontational. He started shouting abuse at us, but like I said, we initially ignored him. Then another youth in the same group came over and sat beside us and made conversation he was quite pleasant."

At this point, the criminology student explained, her Conway Square experience turned sinister: "The 15 year old stood up and shouted 'duck'. He then threw stones at the CCTV camera above our heads. He was trying to knock them out and break the glass. The atmosphere then changed and I felt unsafe. The rest of the gang started coming towards us and asking, 'What are you doing here?'. I told my friends we should leave."

The four tried to get to their car, however, two of them a young man and a young woman were then attacked.

By this stage, Richard said the gang had swollen to nearly eight. He said the whole incident felt 'organised and planned'. "I believe they were looking for a fight. I believe they set out to beat someone up, because they were getting a kick out of it. They really had hatred in their eyes. We are so lucky not to be more seriously injured. My adrenaline was pumping and its really hard to quantify how long the attack lasted. Between the time they attacked our friends until we got in the car, it was maybe five minutes, but it felt much longer."

Richard said the attack was 'animalistic and frenzied': "When the attack started, more of them seemed to come out of other streets to descend on us. It was like they were waiting. When more of the youths came, passers-by and onlookers who were all around just walked away. No one came to help us, they must have been too scared of the youths."

His female student friend continued: "Three girls attacked the other girl in our group and four attacked the other guy. The girls had her bent over, were pulling her hair and punching her in the stomach and head. It was very violent. I tried to stop them, but they then lunged at me. All I kept saying was, 'I dont have a problem with you, I just want you to stop hitting my friend'."

The attack lasted several minutes and then suddenly stopped. Richard said the ringleader of the gang said, 'They have had enough': "It was as if he could just make them stop. We thought it was over and ran to my car."

As the friends tried to get away, the gang re-launched their attack: "They all ran to the car after us and started punching me in the face as I got in the car."

The gang of now 20 youths circled the front of the car and began rocking it.

Read the full story in this week's Chronicle.