Mother describes hammer attack

Mrs Kelly suffered multiple bruising in the attack

A woman who had a noose placed around her neck during an attack at her home in Londonderry has been speaking about her ordeal.

Two masked men dragged the mother of six into her back garden on Saturday and beat her with a hammer before tying a rope round her neck.

Paula Kelly, 31, from Bard's Hill in Gobnascale suffered multiple bruising and is being treated in Altnagelvin Hospital in the city.

Speaking from her hospital bed, she said she believed the attack was a case of mistaken identity.

'Struggling'

"My honest thoughts are I really and truly think they are animals to do this to any human being, a man or a woman," she said.

"It was as if I was being strangled and I thought my eyes were going to pop out of my head.

"I was really struggling to breathe.

"I just hope that one of them is weaker than the other and comes forward and said they did this."