Family 'forced out' after attacks

Chris McCaughan says they have been intimidated for more than ten years

A County Antrim man has said his family are being forced out of their home because of sectarian attacks.

Chris McCaughan said a "republican element" in Rasharkin was targeting his family because they are Protestants.

Mr McCaughan said the trouble had been going on for 10 years. The most recent attack was at the weekend when car tyres were slashed and a window broken.

"You can only take so much of this. I just find it very hard to cope with. My wife is devastated," he said.

"My wife this last few months has been absolutely tortured. Her car's been pelted with eggs, she's been given a lot of verbal abuse, and this is with her mother who is 84 and partially blind.

"But I'm not blaming the Catholic community for this. I'm blaming the republican element who are prepared to stop at nothing to try to get rid of whatever Protestant community there is left in this village.

"A lot of my own family have had to move out because of sectarianism."

A Sinn Fein assembly member said those responsible are "hoods"

Mr McCaughan, who moved to Rasharkin in 1980, said he felt he now had to "get out of this village".

"I've talked to different Catholic families but they themselves know they're under threat if they try to do something about it.

"We don't feel safe going down the street, and now it's come to the stage we're not even feeling safe in our own home."

Sinn Fein assembly member Daithi McKay said "a lot of work was going on to improve community relations" in the village.

"These people are not republicans, they're hoods and we've been inundated with complaints from across the community, both Catholic and Protestant, who've had their cars vandalised.

"We need to ensure these people are brought to book for this anti-social behaviour."