'Cautions are not enough' - Mervyn Storey reacts to the mob violence video captured at Ballymoney rail station

That is the view of DUP man Mervyn Storey, as the police continued tonight to hunt those involved in the affray – which was captured on video and uploaded onto the internet, leading to widespread condemnation.

He added that those involved had brought embarrassment to themselves and the surrounding area.

The incident unfolded at Ballymoney train station on Saturday around 9.45pm, when a group of up to 20 people had been reported to be fighting on a train at the Seymour Street train station.

A glass bottle was thrown during the disturbance, which spilled out onto the platform, and a 14-year-old boy required hospital treatment.

Videos of the disturbance show a crowd of people who appear to be in their teens.

A bin is repeatedly thrown at the side of the train, which is parked up at the platform.

Another clip shows an individual on the ground as assailants kick him in the head.

The PSNI said “a number of others were injured and received medical attention at the scene… officers attended to bring the disturbance under control and cautioned three people in connection with the incident”.

Whilst a number of people online have blamed the incident on foreign nationals, and others have claimed those involved were Protestant, there is nothing in the video clips to indicate this, nor have police given any indication that either claim is accurate or relevant to the disorder.

It had also been suggested that the incident was linked to earlier anti-social behavior on the rail line.

One woman wrote online: “Not shocked at all! We were on an evening train from Portrush a few Saturdays ago and our carriage was filled with drunk teenagers that all got off in Ballymoney! When I say teenagers, some of them couldn’t have been any older than 11/12. Few of them were trying to fight each other, never mind the other people in the carriage.”

But councillor Storey, a former Stormont health minister who was recently elected to represent Ballymoney on Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council, said police believe the incident was “a one off,” unconnected to anything else.

He told the News Letter: “But it’s horrendous. Someone could’ve been seriously injured here. I’ve seen some of the social media stuff, and it’s horrific as to what the young fella [on the ground] was subjected to. Disgraceful.

"I think the police already know who some of these young people are, and I hope that before your paper is printed [late on Monday night] that they’d have had a knock on the door from the police.”

Referring to the fact that, at time of writing, three cautions had been handed out, councillor Storey said: “If that’s all they’ve done, that’s not how this should be dealt with.

"Cautions are not enough and there needs to be something that gives a very clear message to young people that this is not acceptable.

"They’ve not only been an embarrassment to themselves, but they bring embarrassment to the town.”

He urged people not to circulate rumours about alleged perpetrators online, and to let police do their work.