Son 'scared to return home' after sectarian attack

A young autistic man who was injured in what is being treated as a sectarian attack in Londonderry is too afraid to return to home following the assault, his mother has said.

Connor Muirhead, 21, who also has severe epilepsy, was walking with a friend in the Waterside when he was set upon by a group of men and needed hospital treatment for his injuries, his mother Tess Curran has said.

Ms Curran believes her son was targeted because he is a Catholic.

The police are treating the attack, which happened shortly after midnight on Monday, as a sectarian hate crime.

The assault follows a series of incidents in Derry over the weekend, which police are also treating as sectarian in nature.

Church leaders have appealed for calm following those incidents.

Ms Curran told BBC Radio Foyle's North West Today programme that the attack started with the group shouting at her son and his friend.

She said half of the group chased his friend and then Connor got punched in the face.

"He passed out and he woke up to a group of guys kicking him in the head and Connor tried to protect his head, but it didn't work."

Ms Curran said she her son was now too afraid to return to where he was living in the Waterside.

"His face is all swollen and we are waiting on the results of scans to see the extent of his injuries," she said.

"I am angry and devastated that it happened to my child.

"He had moved out to get some independence.

"It's shocking and that is why I am speaking out as this needs to stop.

"I am heartbroken.

"Every time I see the injuries his face, I just feel so angry and I cannot believe this is happening in my own town."

The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) said the attack was carried out by males in a "dark-coloured estate-type vehicle".

They punched and kicked the victim in the head, knocking him to the ground.

The victim was treated at the scene and needed hospital treatment for his injuries.

His friend managed to get away and was not reported to have been injured, the police said.

They have appealed for anyone with information to come forward and have also urged those responsible to contact them.

Previously, church leaders appealed for calm in the city.

Officers said they were investigating an assault on three young men in the Nelson Drive area, an organised fight in the Waterside area, an attack on a bus returning to the city, and a paint attack on a mural in the Fountain estate.

Police also came under attack from youths throwing bricks, bottles, and fireworks in one of the incidents, while a vehicle carrying two police dogs was also targeted.

Catholic Bishop of Derry Donal McKeown and Church of Ireland Bishop of Derry and Raphoe Andrew Forster condemned the incidents and appealed for no escalation.

"This city has come through an awful lot of pain in the past," Bishop Forster said.

"We have built a much more inclusive, warm and friendly place and I want everyone to feel part of that, no matter what part of the community they belong to."

Bishop Donal McKeown said "no one benefits" from such incidents and said everyone must do their part to ensure "we have a city we can be proud of".

"The community has been trying to rediscover its dignity and hope for the future," he added.

"At a time when there are so many pressures on young people, it is very unfortunate that apparently a lot of young people are involved in this sort of behaviour where nobody benefits."

Bishop McKeown called on community leaders to work hard to ensure it does not escalate.