Romanian mother 'afraid' to stay in Ballymena street after attack during disorder

The mother-of-three said her children were asking why their house was being attacked during disturbances in the Co Antrim town on Monday night.

Several properties were damaged on Clonavon Terrace in attacks which police have described as "racist thuggery".

The violence followed an earlier protest in support of the family of a girl who was the victim of an alleged sexual assault in the town at the weekend.

Two 14-year-old boys appeared in court on Monday charged with attempted rape. The charges were read to the teenagers by a Romanian interpreter.

The PA news agency spoke to a number of residents of houses in the street on Tuesday who said they now intended to leave the area.

The woman from Romania , who said she was too afraid to give her name, said she tried to flee her house after the front window was broken.

She said: "The children were asking me why are we being attacked.

"I don't want to stay here now, the children are afraid and I am afraid."

A Romanian man said he had lived in the area for 15 years.

He said: "We don't even know why this happened to us.

"The riots started last night. We didn't expect it to come to our house.

"We tried to get out of the house and go to a safe place.

"I have lived here 15 years. Everything else has been nice, everything has been OK.

"I have so many friends in Ballymena , I have got so much support.

"Everyone was texting and asking us if we are OK, if we are safe, if they can do anything for us."

He added: "I am lucky because the damage here is not too bad, but my sister has three kids, I have a little girl.

"We are going to live in a friend's house for a while and then try to move out of here."

He said: "I like to believe I am a Ballymena man now, I have been living here half of my life.

"I understand if people want to protest but it did not have to be like this.

"We should not have to pay the price."