May 14, 2002 Catholic Man Critical After RUC Assult
A Catholic father-of-two suffered a fractured skull when he was beaten by RUC/PSNI police during a loyalist mob attack in east Belfast at the weekend.

Short Strand man Patrick Devenney was seriously injured when he was baton-charged by the RUC as he tried to defuse tensions in the area on Saturday night. He had to undergo neuro-surgery at the Royal Victoria hospital for a compound and hairline fracture to the skull.

His family, who are maintaining a round-the-clock vigil at his bedside, do not yet know if he has suffered any permanent brain damage.

It is understood that surgeons had to operate to remove a fragment of skull from his brain. Last night his condition was described as "ill but stable". Although he has regained consciousness, he is as yet unable to speak and his family say that doctors have told them the next 24 hours will be critical.

The victim's brother Danny, who witnessed the incident, said that the beating of his brother was 'totally unprovoked'.

"Patrick was actually there trying to calm things down," Mr Devenney said.

"The RUC had charged out of Bryson Street and the kids were starting to throw stones at them.

"Danny was calling for people to stay calm and to move back when he was attacked. It was totally unprovoked."

Mr Devenney said his brother had been babysitting on Saturday night when two blast bombs were thrown by loyalists at nationalist homes shortly after 10pm.

"Paddy was trying to get round to my mother's house to check if everything was all right. He got involved in trying to calm things down when he was attacked.

"I was on the scene and saw Patrick on the ground and his eyes were rolling around his head. He was conscious but he couldn't speak, he lost an awful lot of blood at the scene."

He said the Devenney family would be asking Police Ombudsman Nuala O'Loan to investigate the incident.

"My brother was trying to stop the violence when he was beaten. Eyewitnesses and a video all say the same.

"We will be asking Nuala O'Loan to investigate how Paddy came to have his skull fractured in two places when he was very clearly trying to defuse the tension."

"My brother could have died and we still don't know what lasting effects he will have from this attack."

Violence Continues: Fears are growing that the Short Strand could follow north Belfast as a target of loyalist violence after four days of clashes -- the most intense in the area for years.

After two blast bombs were thrown into the nationalist enclave from a nearby loyalist estate, residents said a military-style offensive was then mounted.

One woman said a crowd of masked men then came into Madrid Street while the smoke from the bombs was still clearing and started attacking houses. Up to a 100 loyalists, including a number of known UVF paramilitaries, were involved in the assault.

"This is small area surrounded by loyalists streets and we were being attacked from all angles... we could hear them shouting UVF," she said.

Disturbances are said to be continuing today in east and north Belfast.

Meanwhile, in west Belfast, a family home has been damaged in an arson attack at the weekend. A man, whose clothing and possibly his hands were on fire, was seen running from the scene.

Sinn Fein councillor for the Poleglass area, Veronica Willis said the "quiet and respectable" family could not understand why they had been targeted. Sectarian attacks are relatively unusual in the area.

"It's a good job they weren't in bed at the time or it could have ended up being a lot worse," Ms Willis said.

Adair Comes Out:

But it appears things are set to get worse tomorrow, when notorious loyalist paramilitary Johnny "Mad Dog" Adair is due to be freed from jail.

Adair is set to be released from Maghaberry Prison after serving a brief sentence for directing terrorism. He was sent back to jail in the summer of 2000 at the height of a vicious loyalist murder rampage in Belfast.

John White, a close associates of Adair, insisted the release of the UDA terror boss was good news.

"Nationalism needs to get the message that Johnny Adair will be a force for good," he said. "Nationalists and Catholics have nothing to fear from him".

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