A 13-YEAR-old girl who is in critical condition in hospital after being stabbed on Saturday night was protecting her 11-month-old nephew from a gang of armed men, a relative has said. 

The attack happened at a house in Lisnaskea in Co Fermanagh. The PSNI said a gang carrying machetes forced entry into the property and attacked a woman and girl inside. They also said a baby was present at the scene but was unharmed. 

The 13-year-old sustained serious stab wounds and was taken to hospital where she remains in a critical but stable condition. The 41-year-old woman who was in the house with her was also treated for stab wounds to her leg but was discharged from hospital. 

Elizabeth Joyce, a relative of the girl, told BBC News NI that the 13-year-old tried to protect her baby nephew from the gang. 

“The baby was unharmed because his auntie is a hero,” she said. “She’s 13 years old and she threw her whole self over that baby and she saved his life. She is a hero.”

Joyce, who was also injured in the attack, said: “It is something that we will never get over.”

Police are treating the incident as attempted murder.  The PSNI has said it is “determined to find the men responsible” for this attack.