Murder attempt on mother

Four shots were fired through the living room window

Paramilitaries tried to kill a woman in Londonderry, according to the police.

The mother and her young daughter escaped injury in the gun attack on their home in the city.

Four shots were fired through the living room window of the house in the Bond Street area shortly before 2300 BST on Sunday.

The seven-year-old girl was asleep upstairs, but the woman who was downstairs was left shocked by the attack. She was showered with glass.

Both are believed to have moved into the area from Belfast earlier this year.

The police said they were treating the attack as attempted murder, but were still investigating the motive.

A number of items were taken away for examination.

The police have appealed for information.

Inspector Trevor McKeown said: "Certainly, this has all the hallmarks of a paramilitary style attack.

"We are treating it as attempted murder."

'Very frightening'

DUP assembly member William Hay said it was the second attack in the area in recent months.

A pipe bomb was left at the back of another house in the same street, he said.

I know there's a lot of good work going on in both areas to try to stop these attacks and improve relations Shaun Gallagher Mayor of Londonderry

"People are asking the question are these two incidents linked. I totally condemn this attack. We could have a fatality on our hands today," he said.

Meanwhile, there have been a number of sectarian attacks in the Fountain-Bogside interface area of Derry over the weekend.

Homes and cars on both sides were damaged in petrol bomb attacks.

One woman, who had fireworks put through her front door on Georgia Street, said it was very frightening.

The mayor of Londonderry, Shaun Gallagher, said the attacks were carried out by a few people who were "mindless".

He said the violence had no place in either community.

"I put it down to people who are determined to try to stir trouble up," he said.

"I know there's a lot of good work going on in both areas to try to stop these attacks and improve relations.

"And of course that's always against people whose mindset is about violence."