Officer 'says attacks sectarian'

Homes have been damaged in the attacks in Ahoghill

An SDLP councillor has said a senior policeman has confirmed he believes a series of attacks in the County Antrim village of Ahoghill are sectarian.

Declan O'Loan said Paul Leighton wrote him a letter to clarify he believed it was the fundamental issue in the attacks on Catholic homes.

Earlier this week, the deputy chief constable said disputes among neighbours could also be to blame.

Mr O'Loan, a councillor in Ballymena, said he welcomed the clarification.

"He's quite clear in what he says - he says there's no question that the attacks are all of a sectarian nature," he said.

"He does go on to say that only in some do other lesser factors feature."

Mr O'Loan said he wondered "why there was such a delay in making this response".

He added: "The clarity in his statement is the important thing, and I very much welcome that."

Church attacked

The latest attacks came on Monday, when a Catholic church and school were splattered with paint, the same night as an attack on a Catholic couple's home.

Mr Leighton met local officers on Wednesday to discuss a series of sectarian attacks in County Antrim.

On Friday, Mr O'Loan was part of an SDLP delegation which raised the issue of loyalist violence with government minister Lord Rooker.

Speaking afterwards, North Antrim assembly member Sean Farren said the party's "message to the minister was the loyalist ceasefires no longer have any credibility".