Six men and boys charged after night of disorder across Belfast

Six people have been charged after Tuesday night’s disorder in north Belfast.

Earlier today, three men, aged 26, 28 and 41 years, were arrested in connection to the report of damage to homes and cars in the Rathlin Street area.

They have now been charged with a number of offences including criminal damage, riotous behaviour, incitement to hatred and possession of an offensive weapon in a public place.

All are due to appear at Belfast Magistrates Court tomorrow.

Three teenage boys who were arrested on Tuesday evening in the Shankill area of Belfast have also been charged.

Two boys aged 16 and one aged 14 have all been charged with riotous behaviour and are due to appear at Belfast Youth Court on Monday, September 2.

The charges follow a night of disorder across Belfast which included a car being rammed into an estate agents and masked men kicking in residents’ front doors.

At around 8.45pm, it was reported to police that a car was hijacked by a group of masked men on Fingal Street.

The vehicle was driven at the front of an estate agents on Woodvale Road, causing minimal damage to the building, according to the PSNI.

Police said officers were ‘immediately’ deployed to the scene when it was reported, just after 9.25pm, that masked men were smashing windows in the Rathlin Street area.

A police helicopter circled the scene.

Crowds gathered in the streets and it’s understood that last night local bus services had been suspended in the area.

In a separate incident on the Falls Road, a boy was also assaulted after eggs had been thrown at a shop and staff racially abused.

There were also bins set alight in east Belfast which blocked a road and caused traffic disruption.

In a statement, the PSNI branded the scenes across the city as a “disgrace”.

Temporary Assistant Chief Constable Melanie Jones said: “For a third night, our officers dealt with incidents such as assaults, criminal damage and arson in a challenging environment right across the city.

“We received a report at around 6.10pm that a shop on the Falls Road had eggs thrown at it and that staff inside were being racially abused by a group of young people.

“A 15-year-old boy was assaulted and while he received minor facial injuries, I have no doubt this was a terrifying incident for the young victim. When police attended, a large group from the local community were outside to diffuse the situation. A 14-year-old boy was cautioned for offences such as common assault, disorderly behaviour and criminal damage. We will review the evidence gathered and follow this up in the coming days.

“Following a report of a group of young people wearing masks in the Shankill area, officers attended and arrested three boys, two aged 16 and one aged 14, on suspicion of riotous behaviour. They remain in police custody at this time.

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“We also dealt with a report of a hijacking in the Fingal Street area of west Belfast at around 8.45pm, followed by a report that a car was deliberately driven at a business in the Woodvale Road area, causing damage to the shutters. The suspects made off from the scene.

“Officers dealt with a number of reports of criminal damage to homes and cars in the Enfield Street, Woodvale Road and Rathlin Street. Three men, aged 26, 28 and 41 years, were arrested in connection to the Rathlin Street report on suspicion of offences including criminal damage and they remain in custody at this time.

“There were also reports of bins set on fire in the Newtownards Road area of east Belfast, which caused some traffic disruption for a period of time as the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service dealt with the fire.”

Assistant Chief Constable Melanie Jones continued: “The scenes we have been seeing across Belfast over the last few days have been a disgrace and have no place in Northern Ireland.

“We continue to engage with the groups affected by this criminality and hope these arrests show the community that we are taking action. Our Public Order Enquiry Team will continue to review footage to attempt to identify those involved, as well as those organising and orchestrating this disorder. As with any investigative process, the Police Service will follow the evidence and present it to the Public Prosecution Service.

“I am appealing to the public directly, do not let these criminals hide in your community. Anyone with any information which can help identify any of these individuals should contact Police. We have set up a Major Incident Public Portal for people to submit information, images and footage. Photos and footage, including CCTV, mobile phone or dash cam footage, can be shared with police through the Major Incident Public Portal at Public Portal (mipp.police.uk).”

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