Northern Ireland

Youth denies north Belfast baseball bat and hatchet attack

A youth has denied being involved in an attack on a man in north Belfast in June 2015
A youth has denied being involved in an attack on a man in north Belfast in June 2015 A youth has denied being involved in an attack on a man in north Belfast in June 2015

A YOUTH accused of being part of a four-strong gang who carried out a baseball bat and hatchet attack on a north Belfast man has denied involvement in the assault.

The young man - the only one of four defendants to give evidence - claimed he was named as one of the attackers by the injured man in a case of "mistaken identity".

The four are standing trial at Belfast Crown Court for the June 19, 2015 assault on Mervue Street in north Belfast which left a 22-year old man with multiple wounds, including a fractured kneecap and cuts to his scalp.

The injured man, from Tigers Bay, has autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

All four accused have links to the Tigers Bay area. They are Benjamin Mark Hagan (23) from Moss Road in Lambeg, Alan George James McIlwaine (37) from Mackey Street in Belfast, David John Nixon (28) from Blenheim Drive in Newtownards, and the youth who cannot be named for legal reasons. All four deny involvement.

The case continues.