A Tyrone community has been left shocked and angry over the "disgusting defacing" of a relgious statue, a local councillor has said.
The word 'whore' was daubed in red paint on the statue of Our Lady in Greencastle.
Mid Tyrone Sinn Fein Councillor Sean Clarke said: “There is deep sense of shock and anger within this local community at the disgusting defacing of a statue of ‘Our Lady’ in Greencastle and these sentiments are being shared wide and far.
“The motives behind what has happened are as yet unclear but it is suffice to say that whoever is responsible has stooped to the depths of depravity in a warped effort to cause the utmost offence and hurt possible."
SDLP councillor Rosemarie Shields expressed shock and said she could not understand why the statue was targeted.
The large statue of the Virgin Mary was placed close to a Mass rock on land in Co Tyrone where a Canadian goldmine firm refused to allow a Catholic service to be held last year.
The 8ft high statue and plinth appeared at the isolated Mass rock near Greencastle in April.
It is not known who put the statue, which is lit up at night, at the site.
Dalradian Gold wants to mine for gold in the area and plans to build a processing plant which will use cyanide to extract the precious metal from ore mined locally.
