Northern Ireland

Amnesty International says latest threat to child of journalist Patricia Devlin 'totally abhorrent'

Journalist Patricia Devlin. Picture by Mal McCann
Journalist Patricia Devlin. Picture by Mal McCann Journalist Patricia Devlin. Picture by Mal McCann

AMNESTY International has described another threat made to the child of journalist Patricia Devlin as "totally abhorrent".

The Sunday World reporter received a message on Friday which said: "Your baby will suffer very soon from rape very nice".

The threat was sent via her personal Facebook account.

In October 2019, Ms Devlin received a similar message in which the sender threatened to rape her newborn son.

It was signed with the name of neo-Nazi group Combat 18, which in the past has had links to loyalist paramilitaries in Northern Ireland.

Last year she lodged a complaint with the Police Ombudsman over the PSNI response to the initial threat.

Writing on Twitter after receiving the latest message, Ms Devlin said: "This is what happens when authorities fail to pursue and hold to account vile creatures using fake accounts to make threats.

"Impunity emboldens these sickos. When did it become OK to threaten children with rape?"

Patrick Corrigan from Amnesty International UK said: "This latest threat sent to Patricia Devlin is totally abhorrent and part of a wider climate of intimidation and violence which is undermining press freedom in Northern Ireland.

"Amnesty International has been watching with increasing concern the constant stream of threats being received by journalists in Northern Ireland, designed to shut down press scrutiny of criminal and paramilitary activity."