Woman's House Attacked 'Because She Supported RAAD'

A woman in Creggan, Londonderry, has hit out at men who threw a ceramic tile through her mother's window.

Shauna Canning believes her mother Josephine was targeted in the "disgusting" attack because she voiced support for Republican Action Against Drugs (RAAD).

A member of the residents' group Creggan Women United, the elder Mrs Creggan has spoken on television in support of the vigilante group, and has said the PSNI are "heavy-handed" when they police the troubled estate.

Her house in Rathmore Crescent was attacked in the early hours of yesterday morning.

A hooded man threw a heavy tile through the double-glazed living room window and it landed yards from a three-year-old girl who was sleeping on the sofa.

Shauna said if it had hit the girl, her niece, she "would have been killed, no doubt about it."

She said: "My sister was closing the curtains at around 12.30am. She looked out the window and saw a man with his hood up walking up the steps to the house with something in his hands. He threw this huge ceramic tile at the window, it smashed right through and shattered glass all over the chair, the floor, everywhere. "

Mrs Creggan was not at home at the time of the attack.

She continued: "My mother was on television recently stating she supported RAAD. We think that is why she has been targeted. She is a 55-year-old grandmother with various health issues. This attack is disgusting."

The family will not be reporting the incident to the PSNI.

(NE)