WEST Belfast MLA Pat Sheehan is to hold a meeting with the PSNI asking for a more robust investigation following a brutal weekend assault on a resident from Dermott Hill Road.
Mr Sheehan was speaking following a vicious attack on 47-year-old Micky Russell, his wife and sister-in-law around 3pm on Saturday afternoon in the Russell home.
Mr Russell, a self-employed black taxi man suffered five cracked ribs, bruising and cuts to his face during the assault.
“These people came to my home and tried to get into the property,” Micky told the Andersonstown News.
“My wife was inbetween myself and another male while this was going on trying to get him to stop, to get him off me.
“This was a totally unprovoked attack on me, on my family at my home. The police came out around 5pm but we aren’t sure at what stage the investigation is at or what statements have been taken as there was a lot of witnesses.
“As I said this was totally unprovoked and no-one should be attacked in their own home. I was just thankful my nine-year-old daughter wasn’t at home at the time,” he said.
Mr Sheehan said he was meeting with the PSNI today (Thursday) to ask if any arrests had been made or statements taken.
“The family still don’t know where the investigation is days on from this senseless attack on Micky. We need a pro-active approach here. We have three victims here who were attacked in the sanctity of their home and action needs to be taken.”
A spokesperson for the PSNI said: “Police received a report of an assault at Dermott Hill Road on Saturday December 29.
“One male aged in his 40’s and one female aged in their 40s were assaulted in the area by a number of people. All three were taken to hospital with injuries not believed to be serious.
Enquiries are continuing and police would appeal to anyone who saw anything suspicious in the area to contact police on 101, quoting reference number 890 29/12/18.”
