OAP couple cheat death in petrol bombing

George and Lily Lindsay, of Finn Gardens in the Irish Street estate, were saved by their smoke detector which woke them at 3.50am, after heartless petrol bombers targeted their two-storey home. Just two days before that the couple had finished laying new carpets, putting in a new sofa and chairs and decorating their end-of-terrace home.

The attack on the pensioners' home came amid disturbances in the nearby nationalist Top of the Hill area in the run-up to the Twelfth of July celebrations. Unionist politicians believe the attack was sectarian and carried out by nationalists.

In the attack on the house, a panel of double glazing was broken in the front room window and the petrol bomb was thrown through, igniting one of the chairs in the new sofa set, causing extensive damage to the carpet and extensive smoke damage to the internal decor.

An army of family members returned to Finn Gardens mid-morning on Monday to begin the clear-up and salvage what they could of the elderly couple's belongings, and among them was George, who is 72, who surveyed the thousands of pounds worth of damage before revealing that he and his wife, aged 62, were woken by the smoke alarm.

"The smoke detector went off at 3.50am and we came downstairs, but saw nothing. Then I opened the living room door and saw the chair was on fire," he said, admitting that it was "very frightening".

George's daughter-in-law, Karen said: "They must have broken the window first because it is double glazing, otherwise the petrol bomb would not have gone through."

Condemning those responsible she said: "They are sick. How do they sleep in their beds at night? They would not like it to happen at their home. It must have been well-planned to get it through the window."

The couple's daughter, Ann, said her parents had alerted them by telephone immediately as to what happened and by the time her husband arrived at the scene the emergency service were already at work.

"Thank goodness it was only the one room that went on fire, and the CID and forensics have been out,"she said, adding: "Mum came up to our house later on when she had been calmed down. They were a very easy target and have been targeted before and those who did this would have had to come into their garden to throw the petrol bomb through the window.

"Mum and dad had only just re-decorated the hall and had put in a new hall and stair carpet and bought a new sofa and chairs. It was only finished two days ago and they don't have a lot of money and now it has all been taken away from them," she said.

A PSNI spokesman said: "Shortly before 4am on Monday, the Fire and Rescue Service turned out to a house fire at Finn Gardens in the Irish Street area of Londonderry. It is believed that a window was broken and a petrol bomb thrown into a downstairs room."

There was also sporadic trouble in the Top of the Hill area. During this, accoridng to police, a number of wheelie bins were set on fire and petrol bombs were thrown at police. There were no injuries.

"Anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact police. The number to call is 0845 600 8000. Alternatively information can be given to the Crimestoppers charity anonymously on 0800 555 111," said the spokesman.

Alderman Mary Hamilton said she "totally condemned this cowardly attack" adding that she hoped it would not be too long before the couple returned home.

Alderman Maurice Devenney, who visited the couple with East Londonderry MP Gregory Campbell, said the attackers' actions showed they meant to kill or at least did not care if people lost their lives. He said he believed dissident republicans orchestrated the attack.

"There is no doubt that this was a threat to life and the target was chosen randomly. These people are very lucky to be alive," he said. "This was obviously orchestrated."