Mum of four’s terror attack at Allenhill

Shaken and upset the woman in her 30s had been walking along the black path close to the derelict Clendinnings factory area at around 2pm when two men approached her from behind.

“I was pushed up against the wall by the two men.

“I told them I had no 
money but they pushed me and I thought ‘is it worth it to lose my life for £40?’” she told the ‘MAIL’.

“I was on my way to a friend’s house as we were heading to Tesco to get groceries at the time. They smacked my face when I first refused to give them money,” said the woman who was injured in the face as a result of the attack.

“They grabbed me from behind so I couldn’t see their faces,” she said.

“They must have been hiding behind the fence.”

She said she had not been carrying her handbag at the time and had left her mobile phone at home. All she had was the £40 in her 
pocket.

The mum said she is too frightened to reveal her identity but terrified now to go out and has been traumatised by the experience.

“I’ve had to go to the doctor to get pills for anxiety. I don’t want them to stop me from going out. It was broad daylight. I am afraid of going out day or night now.

“I just went home and burst out crying.”

She said she lived close to Clendinnings factory site and regularly used that path but feels that she can’t anymore.

She also condemned the state of Clendinnings factory which she says regularly attracts drinkers and junkies. “That factory attracts a bad crowd and with the longer evenings it is only going to get worse,” she said.

“I’m afraid to let my kids go near it in case they pick up drugs or needles,” she said.

For many years the factory has lain idle and has been the focus for complaints from residents due to the consistent congregation of gangs of hoods.

It is understood the site owners have repeatedly been contacted and Craigavon Council is working with a number of agencies to have the site cleared and secured.

A spokesperson for the PSNI said: “One of the males is described as having brown coloured hair and was wearing dark track bottoms and a black hooded top.

“The second male is described as having black coloured hair and was wearing blue jeans and a light blue coloured jacket. The woman sustained a slight injury to her face as a result.”

Inspector Stephen Humphries is appealing for anyone who witnessed the incident or anyone who has any information about the incident to contact officers at Lurgan Police Station on the non-emergency number 101.

Information can also be passed anonymously to the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.