Man’s hands nailed to fence in ‘sinister’ attack in NI

A man has been left with potentially life-changing injuries after both his hands were nailed to a fence in an attack in Co Antrim.

The PSNI has described the incident in Bushmills in the early hours of this morning as “sinister” and “brutal”.

Police received a report shortly after midnight that a man, aged in his 20s, had been found with his hands nailed to a fence, with one nail through each hand.

The man also had injuries to his nose.

He was taken to hospital, where his condition was described as not life threatening.

The victim is believed to be from Carrickfergus in Co Antrim.

It is understood he was visiting a friend.

Police who attended the incident said two vans parked in the public car park near Dundarave Park had been set on fire.

One of the vehicles belonged to the man who had been assaulted. Firefighters attended to extinguish the fires and both vans sustained extensive damage.

Officers said graffiti found on a nearby gable wall of a public toilets building was being linked to the assault and arson.

The graffiti, which threatened the victim, has been painted over.

In a statement, the PSNI said: “This was a sinister attack which has left this man with potentially life-changing injuries.

“Everyone has the right to live their life free from the threat of violence and this brutal attack by people who violate the human rights of others must be universally condemned.

“We live in a democratic society where there is no justification for this. Those responsible brutalise their own communities and control others through intimidation and violence.

“This happened in a residential area with a number of holiday lets which would be busy during this bank holiday weekend and we are asking anyone who noticed anything or who may have dashcam footage to contact us urgently on 101 or confidently to Crimestoppers.”

‘Deeply concerning’

There were more than 20 camper vans in the car park in the centre of the village at the time of the attack.

It is a popular stopping point for tourists visiting the north coast and the National Trust uses it as a park and ride facility for the Giant’s Causeway around 2 km away.

Several people who were in their camper vans at the time of the incident described it, but did not want to be named.

They reported hearing loud voices and what seemed to be an argument shortly before midnight.

A few minutes later, they said that they heard a loud bang as the fuel tank of one of two vans set alight exploded.

A woman who went outside said she heard someone calling for help and then saw a man nailed to a fence that runs along one side of the car park.

One of the camper van owners called the police while another, a trained nurse, gave the man medical assistance.

Another individual grabbed a small fire extinguisher from his vehicle and tried to tackle the blaze until fire crews arrived.

The fire crews then used saws to cut two sections of fence to free the man’s hands.

Richard Stewart, an Alliance Party member of Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council, said local people were shocked by the savagery of the incident.

“There was over 20 camper vans in here last night, so it obviously was a very scary experience for them to wake up to this,” he said.

Mr Stewart said: “It’s a shock to the local community, just the nature of the actual brutal assault that took place last night.

“It’s deeply concerning.”

Additional reporting Vincent Kearney