Church damaged in attacks

Church suffered smoke damage

A Catholic church in County Down was attacked twice within a matter of hours it has emerged.

The church, Our Lady of the Assumption Church in Newcastle, was first targeted by arsonists on Thursday evening.

It is thought that candles were placed on a wheelchair which was then pushed inside a confessional box and set alight.

The fire was discovered at tea time just as caretaker Gerry Connolly was arriving to lock up for the night.

"There is a lot of damage in the confessional box," he said.

"The side chapel is completely burnt out and there is a lot of smoke damage in the chapel. The organ is completely ruined."

Later, at about 2240 BST on Thursday, stained glass windows at the church were broken when a group of men threw a rock at them.

The attacks were recorded on CCTV and police are examining the footage.

Parishioners worked through the night to clear up damage caused by the fire.

Last year, the parochial house attached to the church was firebombed and there have been other incidents of vandalism.