Northern Ireland

Arrests following Derry street attack

‘Good Samaritan’ attacked after trying to diffuse Sackville Street disturbance

Policing Board member Mark H Durkan.
Foyle MLA Mark H Durkan described incident as 'absolutely abhorrent'.

Police in Derry have arrested three people in connection to a disturbance in the city.

The incident, which involved a number of people, happened on Wednesday night.

According to the PSNI, a member of the public who stopped to diffuse the situation, was assaulted.

A 25-year-old woman was arrested on suspicion of common assault, disorderly behaviour and criminal damage.

A 31-year-old man was detained on suspicion of making threats to kill, assault on police, and resisting police, while a 28-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of assault, disorderly behaviour and improper use of a public communications network.

All three remained in custody on Thursday.



A PSNI spokesperson said: “If you saw this incident, or if you know who was involved or have footage or it, we urge you to call us on 101, quoting reference 1838 of 08/05/24 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.”

Foyle MLA Mark H Durkan (SDLP) described the incident as “absolutely abhorrent”.

He added: “I am thinking of the good Samaritan who stepped in to help and his poor children, who were in the car at the time during what was an extremely frightening situation.

“There needs to be a focus on reducing crime and fear of crime in our city centre. It’s heart-breaking to see these problems bleeding on to our streets.

“There have been plenty of issues in Derry with colossal cuts to vital support programmes, cuts to community policing but the situation has been further compounded by vulnerable people being relocated here, away from their own support networks.

“It’s not sustainable, quite frankly, it’s dangerous and has been allowed to spiral despite countless warnings from myself and others.”