The mother of a vulnerable Armagh man who was subjected to verbal abuse and threatened has called on the gang of youths responsible to “catch a grip”.
The incident began inside a city centre bar when the perpetrators arrived and allegedly started to hurl abuse.
The owner of the bar also told how he himself was spat on when he tried to protect the young man, whom he classes as a friend, from physical attack.
There were several incidents reported over the course of a number of nights, in a week where criminal damage was also caused to property inside the EuroSpar shopping centre.
The Armagh mum said her son had been “verbally abused” and threatened.
“He has a learning difficulty,” she told Armagh I. “He has been able to go in and out of town for 20 years, on his own, without any bother and then this happens.
“One of them said to my son ‘I’ll do you, I’ll do you’. My son’s nearly 40, he’s six foot but he’s a vulnerable adult.
“I was made aware of this on Monday night and I asked my son and he more or less said the same thing, but he couldn’t give you a full story. He couldn’t sit down and say word for word what happened.
“I went to the police but, because he wasn’t hurt in any way, they don’t do anything about it. That’s what they told me.”
When alerted to what had happened, she went to see those she believed to be responsible. They had denied doing anything and claimed they saw “some old boy was going to beat” her son, after originally denying they were there.
But there was soon a change in their attitude towards her, as she added: “They know me by name, one of them does anyway, and they know my son by name. The one that knew me by name, says to me ‘I’ll kick your f**king car in. I’ll do you in. I’ll do you in’.”
After being contacted by Armagh I, the city centre bar owner – who has been in business for over 40 years and insisted “most of the kids in Armagh are great” – agreed to speak out as he felt what had happened on both Monday and Tuesday nights should be “brought into the public domain”.
He said his vulnerable friend comes into his bar every evening to play pool and have fun with the regulars.
And he added: “He goes in and out of all the bars and shops in the area. I don’t know anyone who doesn’t love him. That is why what has happened mystifies me.
“It was at around 8.30pm on Monday night that my friend, a few of the regulars and myself were having a good laugh in the bar when a young boy came in and asked to use the toilet. Even though the toilets are for customers, I never refuse anyone the use of them.
“When he was in the toilets the front door opened and the boys who were with him started giving my friend a torrent of abuse. My friend ran out the door after them and myself, thinking they were carrying on, and a customer, who also works in hospitality and is also very close to my friend, went outside to get him back in the bar.
“When I was outside the boy who had used the toilets came out. He asked me had my friend autism. I told him he was vulnerable and asked him to tell his mates to leave him alone.
“Next thing the boy ran up the middle of the road and, when he rejoined the gang, they all started subjecting my friend to a torrent of abuse, shouting that they were going to ‘kick the f**k out of him’ and beckoning him to come towards them.
“Myself and the other regular took my friend back into the bar, but five minutes later the bar door opened with a torrent of abuse being shouted in. I went out telling my customers to keep my friend in the bar and said that I would deal with this. I went out the front door and closed it behind me.”
The bar owner claimed he was also then threatened.
“I was told I was an old man and they were going to kick the f**k out of me. It was like he was possessed. A lady pushed the door behind me and as I turned to let her out, they cleared their throats and spat on my back before running off.
“About 20 minutes after this my vulnerable friend, who was still in an agitated state, wanted to go up to the corner where his mother collects him. The lady walked him up and I stood looking on. Halfway up the street a torrent of abuse started. My friend turned back towards me but a man came out of a nearby pub and took him up to his mother and he got home safe.”
Those involved returned the following evening, with two youths appearing in the bar at around 9.30pm.
“One was the boy that had given us the abuse,” said the owner. “He said he wanted to apologise to me for his behaviour. I said OK, but I noticed he kept looking all around him. He asked could he use the toilet and I said yes and followed them out. They didn’t use the toilet and I followed them out towards the front door.
“When there, the torrent of abuse started again from the boy. There were five of them now and the boy kept shouting. A group of foreign nationals, who I let in to play pool, came towards the pub. The local boys took to their heels, and the others asked me if I was OK. I told them yes and thanks, and then one of them said, ‘bad, bad boys’.
“I went back into the pub then and called the police because I didn’t want them getting accused in the wrong.
“This has been going on for over a year now. There have been incidents all over town and this has got to stop. The average age of those involved is about 14. Someone is going to be killed.”
The mother of the young Armagh man who had been singled out, meanwhile, has also called on those responsible to stop.
“They need to catch a grip,” she said.
“This hasn’t happened before. Twenty years he’s been going up and down town and nobody has ever, ever said a thing to him.
“He’s an outgoing, friendly type of person. Everyone knows him. He goes to all the matches, he is always out and about. If you mentioned him, people know who he is. People look out for him.
“They need to wise up. None of them knows what sort of child they’re going to have in years to come and they wouldn’t want it done to their own family member. My children wouldn’t do it. I have two other children and if any of them had ever got up to something like that I’d go crazy.
“My son would be aware of these ones because they live near me and they would be out and about. I’d be wary of them fighting and starting again on him. I don’t know what way he would react.
“ After it happened, he seems to be OK, but maybe inwardly, he’s not. He was quite frightened on Monday night. It was near 12 o’clock before he went to bed and he just says to me, ‘thanks for helping me last night, Mummy’.
“We as a family are outraged this has actually happened to him when he has been able to go about his business on his own from he was a teenager.”
Police, meanwhile, confirmed they had received a report of “anti-social behaviour at a licensed premises in the Thomas Street area of Armagh” at approximately 9.15pm on Tuesday.
Sergeant Hutchings said: “We would like to reassure the local community that we take all reports of disruptive behaviour seriously and that we recognise the wider impact it can have.
“Our officers have been working closely alongside our partner agencies, local representatives and the community to try to address this problem and I want to reassure the community that we take these types of reports very seriously.
“People have a right to live in peace and to feel safe in their communities and people who choose to engage in anti-social behaviour must understand it is unacceptable and must stop.
“We have asked parents and guardians to speak to their young people about where they are and who they are with and also to warn them of the dangers of getting involved in behaviour which could result in them injuring themselves, others, or ultimately, with a criminal record which could have an impact on their future employment and even travel.
“Patrols will continue in the area, and will also be increased to deter further activity of this nature, as the safety of local communities is paramount.
“I want to reassure the community our officers will be continuing to carry out patrols in the Armagh area and I would encourage anyone who witnesses any anti-social or criminal behaviour to report any incidents to us on the non-emergency number 101. A report can also be made using the online reporting form via www.psni.police.uk/makeareport. Alternatively, information can be provided to Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or online at www.crimestoppers-uk.org.”
