By Conor Sharkey

A Bangor man who was savagely beaten in a punishment-style attack in Clady last year says he is still anxious to know why he was targetted.

On August 18, 2006, Gerald Bell was watching television with his then girlfriend, Glebe native Teresa O'Donnell at Dunowen Park, Clady. At around 10pm, six masked men smashed their way into the house, attacking Mr Bell with pickaxe handles, breaking his arm and severely damaging his legs.

Ms O'Donnell managed to escape into a nearby car; however, the gang smashed the windows of the vehicle, leaving her with cuts and bruising. Ms O'Donnell's eight-year-old son witnessed the entire terrifying attack.

According to Mr Bell, follow-up enquiries made by Ms O'Donnell revealed little and no reason has ever been given as to why her home was targetted. He also claimed that after she spoke to certain individuals, she was informed that no guarantees could be given for her safety if she remained in the area.

The couple are now married and live in England with Ms O'Donnell's son.

Speaking to the Strabane Chronicle on Tuesday, Mr Bell said that, while they will never return to Northern Ireland, he is still wants to find out why he and his family were subjected to the ordeal.

"My wife lived in Clady for nearly 20 years and from what I saw in my time there, she was well liked.

"I was always made welcome by various people in the village and this made the events of that night much more incredible.

"The reason for this attack was never given to us and still remains a mystery to us today," he said.

savage

Commenting on why he believes he was beaten so savagely, Mr Bell said, "The only thing I can think of is that this happened because I was a Protestant from Bangor.

"I thought that times had moved on for the most part, but it appears there is still a minority who want to hold on to the darker days that many in Northern Ireland have sought to change over the past ten years.

"If they put as much effort into pushing the positives that Northern Ireland has, it would be a much better place," he said.

Mr Bell added that, while he had no desire to know who was behind the attack, he resented the Iong-term damage they inflicted on his family.

"I am taking this opportunity to tell my attackers that, as an individual, I have done nothing to be ashamed of and they can never justify their actions to the ordinary decent people of the area.

"Certainly my stepson does not deserve to be left with the terrible memories which have scarred his young life.

"As an adult, I know how hard it has been to come to terms with what has happened. One can only imagine how hard it is for a child.

"My stepson receives regular counselling for the trauma he went through.

"It is terrible to see a young child so frightened of his own home that he won't sleep in his own bedroom in case masked men come into the house or that every light has to be on at night to reassure him that he is safe.

"I have never experienced anything like the events of last year and hope I never do again. I will never forget the look on my stepson's face when the attack was over and we managed to leave the house. This little boy was terrified beyond belief.

"In the grand scheme of things, I know that this attack could have been an awful lot worse for all of us present that night but for me personally I wish the children had not been put through this nightmare.

"I know that there will be those reading this who will believe that we all got what we deserved but I can assure them we did not deserve what was done to us," he said.

Mr Bell said that he and his wife still keep up to date with local issues and shootings like those carried out in Strabane in recent months no longer serve a purpose.

He added, "The only positive to come out of this terrible experience is that my stepson is now living in an area where religion does not matter.

"It is such a shame though that he has had to leave so many of his family back in Northern Ireland because of what happened last year."