Strabane mother left "badly shaken" after car attack

by Gráinne Connolly

A Strabane mother was left "badly shaken" yesterday evening, after a group of teenagers attacked her and her car while her young child was on board. 

It was revealed in a facebook post by Strabane Sinn Féin who said: 

"A strabane mother had a terrifying ordeal tonight as she was driving up the ballycolman lane with her young child in the car.

"A group of boys in their mid-teens threw a large plastic crash barrier out in front of her car forcing her to brake sharply.

"The young mother then got out of her car to check if there was any damage and she was then subjected to a torrent of verbal abuse followed by a barrage of muck and stones.

"This left her son absolutely terrified and the mother herself is very shaken. 

"It goes without saying that this behaviour is totally uncalled for and is wholly against the strong community ethos of the ballycolman.

"We condemn such cowardly activity and ask that parents be aware of where their children are at night and what activities they are engaged in. 

"Thankfully on this occasion there was no physical harm or damage caused. However both the mother and son are badly shaken and it’s only by pure luck that we are not looking at a more tragic outcome."

Following on from the post, West Tyrone MLA Michaela Boyle, who's also based in the town said she was "absolutely furious to hear of this". 

It was also met with anger by local residents in the area: