Parsley shocked by North Down attacks

12.00.00am GMT Mon 5th Dec 2005

North Down Alliance Councillor Ian James Parsley has expressed shock at late-night attacks in Holywood and Bangor over the weekend.

The police made one arrest after an attack on a young man in Holywood in the early hours of Sunday morning. At around the same time, there was another attack on a man in Holywood, and bricks were thrown through a pensioner's window in Bangor. This followed on from Saturday's explosion in a Holywood phone box.

Cllr Parsley stated: "People I have spoken to in Holywood, and indeed across North Down, are deeply shocked by this outbreak of mindless violence. There simply is no acceptable motivation for this sort of behaviour.

"North Down is often seen as a place apart in Northern Ireland, somehow untroubled by what goes on elsewhere. This weekend's attacks show that North Down has its troubles too. This is a truly appalling way to start the Christmas season.

"A lot of people across Holywood, and the rest of the borough, are putting in extremely hard work to make this a place where people want to live and do business. However, we simply cannot account for mindless thuggery. This weekend has left a young man's family concerned for his health after a bout of violence, an elderly lady's family concerned about her recovery from the

understandable shock of an attack on her property, and a lot more people in North Down seriously concerned about the safety of the area.

"There is no excuse whatsoever for what has gone on this weekend. I wish the victims and their families well for a quick recovery."

ENDS