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A WOMAN IS recovering in hospital after sustaining what is described as a ‘very serious’ head injury from an attack with a cordless drill.
The assault on the 38-year-old woman occurred in the Railway Street area of Strabane, Co Tyrone, at about 2am this morning, according to the PSNI.
A 17-year-old boy was subsequently arrested a short distance from the scene and remains in custody.
Detective Sergeant Brian Reid said the force “is exploring a possible homophobic motive for the crime” and has appealed for any witnesses to come forward.
It’s understood that the police are not seeking other suspects at present.
The injured woman’s condition is now described as critical but stable.
“This was a brutal attack and the injuries sustained by the victim are extremely grave,” Reid said.
We would like to hear from anyone who may have seen a male carrying a drill in the area at around the time of the assault and we would especially like to speak to anyone who may have captured footage, either on mobile phone or dashcam.
Anyone with such footage or any other information that could assist the investigation is asked to contact police in Strabane on 101, quoting reference number 153 05/05/18.
Information can also be provided to the independent anonymous charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.
Traffic in Strabane remains disrupted today due to the ongoing PSNI investigation.
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Is there no end to the depravity that exists today?
Strange that comments are open on this but none of the Liverpool ones on Sean Cox. People want to leave messages of support but comments always closed.
Or is it only when suspect is charged?
Horrible thing to happen though and hope she’s ok
@Aidan Mitchell: not gone to court yet so comments will be open. Unless it’s anything to do with the DOB
@Eric Le Fleur: congratulations Eric that is your 500 time to mention that. Your prize is a date with Paddy you secretly want
@Johnny Leddin: Once someone’s charged legal proceedings have started and that’s when they need to close the comments. Well that’s my closest guess.
@Hugh Jass: or Jackson and Olding….
@Hugh Jass: LOL so true
Get rid of the picture of the drill on the headlines pages, have some respect, and stop trying to take the Evening Heralds place as Ireland’s raggyest news source.
Oh what a sicko. Vile man. It would appear to be attempted murder and I hope he goes to prison for a very long time.
@Ian Walsh: rather unbelievably it was not a man but a boy.
@Eric Le Fleur: I think it would be considerably more unbelievable if anyone were to come forward and admit to having footage of this on a mobile phone. It then begs the question why they didn’t intervene, call the police or even an ambulance. Clearly the authorities have reason to believe such footage exists.
I give up, This just give a hole new meaning to the words low life.
He’s only 17 and he’s going around being a real life driller killer,
What’s he going too be like in years to come?
Honestly my mind boggling too even think about it.
@Joe oshaughnessy: lock him up and if there’s any indication he’s become a more hardened criminal while in jail then keep him in jail
@Joe oshaughnessy: I honestly wonder how and why he developed such a view against gay people so young. I wonder what kind of education he received here.
@Vincent: possibly from the parents
Has the Iona Institute lifted the fatwah on the use of the word “homophobic”?
Good god. Head injuries caused by a drill. I hope the woman recovers quickly and fully.
Woman-hating knows no limits. Sickening.
@Veronica: Take a day off will you. It’s being treated as a homophobic attack. Nothing said about gender.
@Veronica:
Why on earth would you make this a gender issue? A lowlife tortures an innocent girl and suddenly it’s males vs females.
Do you not have male people in your life? Do you think they are despicable?
@Tweety McTweeter: I have loads of male people in my life, and they’re all wonderful.
Homophobia against a lesbian is very much a misogynist crime. You can say “it’s not because she’s a woman” all you like, but too many women in this country and beaten and abused and raped and murdered by men for you to continue to pretend that everything is fine and dandy for women.
@Leadóg: A homophobic attack on a woman by a man. Veronica is right.
@Brendan O’Brien: I disagree. We all know veronica has an agenda. She’s trying to turn this incident into something it’s not.
@Leadóg: She is entitled to have an agenda. The anti-feminist agenda gets more than its share of an airing in comments on this site.
@Leadóg: “Agenda” you make it sound like wanting to reduce and eliminate male violence against women is some sort of bad thing.
@Leadóg: an agenda which seeks to have women, regardless of age, sexual orientation or social class treated equally to men, give, the equality, respect, safety and freedom from attack that they deserve and not to have electric drills inserted into their skulls.
It seems a fine and noble agenda to me but I can see that misogynists and homophones would be antagonistic to such an agenda and to the brave woman who asserts it.
@Michael Lang: To veronica, every man is a potential woman beater.
@Leadóg: In fairnes I agree with you. Veronica does be all over these stories like a rash. However, it is, yet again, an attack on a woman by a man.
@Veronica: With respect such a crime, what appears to be a teenager attacking a girl with a cordless drill can hardly be described as representative of the entire male gender.
We all agree, male and female alike, that this attack is reprehensible, but assuming that her sexuality was the motive for it may be somewhat pre-emptive. There is no doubt that anyone choosing to use a cordless drill to attack another human being is depraved, however to instantly reduce this to the level of “woman hating” without evidence for that is wrong.
The facts are that over 80% of murder victims are men and about 70% of assault victims are men, to instantly assume when a woman is attacked that it’s because of her gender or sexuality indicates an agenda. Putting that aside would assist towards everyone eliminating violence towards one another, male and female alike, surely that couldn’t be a bad thing I’m sure you’d agree.
@Arch Angel: What percentage of violence is perpetrated by men?
@Brendan O’Brien: To be honest I don’t know, the CSO don’t go into those details.
@Veronica: there’s nothing to say this disgraceful attack was carried out “because” she was female, it could be one of very many demographics which may be revealed after an investigation, so stop trying to shoehorn the story to become part your man hating agenda. People aren’t nearly as thick as you’d like them to be.
What would cause a 17 year old boy to launch such a gruesome homophobic attack? Examine the cause. The effect was the attack.
I hope that the poor victim makes a full recovery without long term adverse effects.
@Michael Lang: Id say a very large quantity of synthetic drugs (Im actually more comfortable with that idea, than it being a lad that is absolutely twisted with hatred).
WTF???
Welcome to Northern Ireland, a high density of racists, homophobes, bigots and morons
@Chris Byrne: wow, what a bigoted thing to say, you from the north Chris?
@Alan Currie: there’s nothing bigoted about telling the truth. unfortunately owing to a large portion of the northern population believing in complete garbage, this affects their ability to see good in other people so sadly yes he’s right —northern ireland has more than its fair share of misogynistic homophobic bigots
@Chris Byrne: I don’t think that we in the south can afford to throw any stones.
@Dean Anderson: I’ve lived half my life north of the border and half in south, and can confirm the people are the same on both sides, go find out for yourself instead of becoming as equally bigoted as your fantasies, it doesn’t help anyone, least of all, yourself to hold such inaccurate prejudices.
@Alan Currie:You are a voice of actual knowledge instead of prejudice.
Jesus this is horrific. Perpetrator needs to be locked up and key thrown away.
Sick vile person, born and bred from hatred no doubt
I have to say it. This is shocking and not much shocks these days. Thats one sick individual who should locked up for a very long time.
That’s what giving people a choice does, no respect for human life anymore, sad but what can you expect…..
You may write ‘homophobia’ but a phobia is a fear of something or someone. We need another word for a despicable attack like this. Homo-hatred, perhaps?
its not very often you hear lesbians be victims to homophobic violence. i hope that kid is locked up and the woman recovers
@James O Carroll: it happens regularly. I remember a young couple run out of their home in Blanchardstown.
What a terrifying combination . . . A brainless oaf with a cordless drill.
Is the stock picture some sick joke? ridiculous
OMG that poor lady how awful that must have been ..
I hope he dies screaming in hell
Mad
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