Looking back... Extra police in town after spate of sectarian attacks

The officers were drafted in to curb further attacks.

One Catholic man was driven out of his home in the wake of two serious sectarian attacks on the same man in the space of 24 hours.

The level of policing in Larne came in for criticism, but Chief Inspector John Jenkins sought to reassure the community that police efforts had been strengthened to bring a halt to what he described as “horrendous attacks”.

He said: “We understand the concerns and fears and we would assure people that we are doing our best to counteract this type of behaviour.

“I would appeal for every right-thinking person in Larne to come forward and tell us what they know about these attacks.

“It doesn’t matter how small or insignificant the details are, we want to hear from anyone who has spotted anything suspicious at all.

“It is a case of neighbour against neighbour- there are people who know what is going on and who is involved.

“They must contact us before someone is killed or seriously injured in an attack like this.”