Catholics 'saved boy from Celtic shirt gang'

By Nicola Mathers

A Protestant teenager was beaten unconscious in Belfast city centre at the

weekend by thugs wearing Celtic shirts.

His four attackers followed 14-year-old Christopher Butler out of a music

shop on Ann Street on Saturday afternoon before beating him to the ground.

He was saved from more serious injury by a Roman Catholic man who came to

his rescue, while a mother and daughter from the nationalist Markets area of

the city contacted his mother, Lorraine.

She is a cross-community worker in west Belfast who has been left "stunned,

shocked and saddened" by the attack.

The traumatised teenager sustained a gash to his neck and bruising to the

head after his brutal assailants ambushed the youngster and his cousin while

on a shopping trip to buy a present for his grandmother.

Lorraine, who believes her son's Protestant identity was revealed by a

Glentoran necklace he wears, said she is horrified by the incident and is

calling for extra police patrols in the city centre.

"When they left the music shop the four attackers started to shout something

about Celtic and Christopher was grabbed from behind and punched to the

ground.

"Thankfully, a gentleman from Andersonstown and a lady and her daughter from

the Markets area came to his rescue and brought him into a shop nearby.

"Christopher was vomiting and his vision was blurred and they stayed with

him until I arrived. He was very shaken up and I took him straight to the

hospital.

"He has a gash to his neck and I am taking him back to hospital as his head

is very sore," the worried mother said.

She added: "This was definitely a sectarian attack.

"Christopher hasn't left the house since the attack and is so traumatised

that he cried and begged me not to take him to the city centre yesterday."

Describing her feelings towards her son's attackers, she said: "I really don

't know what I think. I am involved in interface projects so I work

alongside Catholics every day.

"I have no feelings of animosity towards Catholics. Nobody sends their child

out to do that to another child.

"This was totally senseless and I would say to those who carried it out:

'You are not achieving anything. You are going to end up killing someone if

you get a kick out of beating someone senseless'."

She is calling for more police on the ground in the city centre to "prevent

another innocent child being subjected to a similar ordeal", a call which

was echoed by city councillor Frank McCoubrey.

Mr McCoubrey said: "I was amazed to hear what happened to this boy.

"I dread to think what would have happened if these Good Samaritans had not

have stepped in.

"It is a very worrying development when children are attacked in broad

daylight and the police are going to have to step up their patrols in order

to protect innocent people in the city centre.

"Shoppers coming to Belfast need to be able to feel safe and protected and

not afraid about being attacked.

"This incident will deter people from coming to the city centre,

particularly at a time when Belfast is vying for City of Culture 2008."

A police spokeswoman said the incident had been reported and was under

investigation but made no comment on calls for extra police patrols in the

city centre.

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