Family distress at tractor theft

Mr Kennedy described the Poyntzpass theft as “particularly sickening, given that it involved the theft of a tractor which was owned by the son of the family, who died in tragic circumstances a number of years ago”.

Mr Kennedy said the incident had greatly distressed the family.

And he described it as further evidence that rural crime in the Newry & Armagh area was still “unacceptably high”.

The MLA has a forthcoming meeting with senior police representatives to highlight his concerns about the level of rural crime in the constituency, and he said he would be pressing for more resources to be deployed by the PSNI to combat the situation.