by Mickey Ferry
FIREWORKS shoved through letterboxes in the Ballycolman estate on Halloween night could have fatally injured someone.
That is the claim from one resident whose letterbox was destroyed in the attacks. Eamon Doherty was not at home when the vandalism occurred and.
Speaking to the Chronicle on Tuesday, he called for those involved to consider the consequences of such actions.
He told us, "The attack occurred sometime after 10pm. When I arrived home at 4am I noticed the damage straight away.
"The metal part of the letterbox from the inside was blown right into the kitchen area. The outside part was completely destroyed, which indicates that this wasn't some ordinary 'banger'.
"The massive force suggests that it may have been a few 'bangers' tied together.
"I have a curtain behind the letterbox and nine times out of ten my girlfriend would pull the curtain when we leave the house. It was fortunate that she didn't do it on Saturday night because it could have caused a serious fire.
"For parts of the letterbox to end up in the kitchen area it indicates the massive force of the fireworks. It doesn't bear thinking what could've happened to someone, especially a child, if they were in the hall at the moment of the explosion.
"The individuals who carried out this vandalism need to realise that actions like this could lead to someone being seriously injured," explained Mr Doherty.
The Alex Patterson cumann of the IRSP, of which Mr Doherty is a member, said such behaviour must cease before someone is injured.
In a statement the group said, "On Halloween night youths from the Ballycolman area pushed fireworks through a number of letterboxes in the area causing minor damage to a few homes. Luckily no one was hurt but damage was sustained to a number of front doors.
"We have been made aware of the individuals involved in the fireworks incident around the Ballycolman area.
"We take this opportunity to address directly those involved and tell them to desist from such behaviour in the community before someone gets seriously hurt."
by their actions."
