Two men have been left with life-altering injuries after being mistook for burglars in Keady during the early hours of Sunday morning.
A man has been arrested following the serious assault on several men close to the centre of the town.
It is understood the injured men had got off at the wrong stop following a night out and were caught short in need of a toilet.
They had decided to relieve themselves up against a car, which led to the vicious assault.
Police have moved to dampen speculation and the “false narrative” on social media that these men were burglars caught by locals.
“This is not the case, nor even approaching it,” said a PSNI spokesperson.
“Whilst [public urination] is something that should be saved for an actual toilet, or if needs be a bush out of sight rather than the side of a car, it is not something that warrants the beating they received.
“We have are several injured males, two with very serious injuries including missing teeth. These are life altering injuries. This was not ‘a bit of a scrap’. This was a vicious assault.”
The spokesperson added: “If you see suspicious activity, call us. Do not take matters into your own hands.
“There is no, “oh but I thought…” excuse. If you make a rash call or see red and get it wrong- you will answer for it. No one deserves to be on the receiving end of such violence, and those who are capable of doing so unjustifiably and on a whim should not be protected.
“We are committed to Keady and surrounding areas. Over the same weekend we made an arrest for burglary in Keady, and as many locals know we have been active in the area around suspicious vehicles in the days since.
“Vigilante justice, especially when so badly misjudged, has no place in working together and does nothing for either the name of the town nor the community as a whole.
“If you have any further info on this incident and haven’t yet spoken to us, please call 101. The reference number is 388 of 09/09/18.”
