Northern Ireland

Derry mother beaten with hammer in paramilitary-style attack

Three masked men beat a Derry mother with a hammer and smashed windows and mirrors in her home at Bloomfield Park
Three masked men beat a Derry mother with a hammer and smashed windows and mirrors in her home at Bloomfield Park Three masked men beat a Derry mother with a hammer and smashed windows and mirrors in her home at Bloomfield Park

A Derry mother who was beaten with a hammer in a paramilitary-style attack has said she believes the gang were targeting a man they thought was in her home.

The victim, who did not wish to be named, was also punched and slapped by the men while her children – aged 12, 7 and 3 – were in the house.

Thursday night’s paramilitary-style attack was the second at Bloomfield Park in the Galliagh area of the city within 24 hours.

A man in his 30s suffered “life-changing injuries” when he was shot three times in a nearby alleyway on Wednesday night.

Detective Inspector Michael Winters said police were called shortly before 10.45pm on Thursday after three masked men had forced their way into the woman's house.

“It’s reported that two of the men assaulted the female occupant. She was punched and slapped and hit around the legs with a hammer. This assault took place in one of the downstairs rooms," he said.

"Meanwhile, the third male went around the house, smashing windows and mirrors.

“The woman was taken to hospital for treatment to injuries which are not believed to be life-threatening.”

The officer said the woman and her children were left badly shaken.

“It was a traumatic ordeal which no family should ever have to experience."

The victim told The Irish News the gang were looking for a man who had been at her house.

“They said to me, ‘Just you stand there, where is he’. I said, ‘He was there two seconds ago, he must have run up the stairs’ but they couldn’t get him and every time they couldn’t get him they smashed something,” she said.

While she was not badly hurt, the victim said she was terrified by the attack.

She added that there was no way she could remain in the house.