Baseball bat attack was sectarian, says victim

A LARNE man required staples on his head after an assault in Larne town centre.

The victim, a Catholic in his thirties who does not want to be identified, said he believed the motive for the attack at Lower Cross Street was sectarian.

Police have confirmed they received a complaint that a man was attacked by two others who wore balaclavas and used baseball bats at around 12.30am on Monday.

The injured party told the Larne Times: “I had been in the wine bar and I was standing outside, waiting for a lift, when these two men appeared out of nowhere and whacked me with baseball bats. They hit me on the head and when I went down they carried on hitting me on the arms and chest.

“I managed to get away and ran up to the Main Street. They were chasing me, but my mate who was picking me up came along and when they saw I was heading for the car they backed off.”

The victim said he could not identify the assailants who, apart from being masked, had said nothing. “I don’t even know where they came from. I just saw them out of the corner of my eye when they were nearly on me,” he added.

The injured party, who attended hospital where he had staples inserted in a head wound, said he believed the attack was sectarian. Asked why, he replied: “Probably because I was the only Catholic in the bar.”

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