Coleraine family plead for end to violence
The family of Damien Fleming have released an exclusive picture of the critically injured Coleraine man, as he clings to life in a Belfast hospital.
The injuries Mr Fleming sustained led his relatives to describe him as looking like the “elephant man”.
“They (the doctors) want to see if he can survive, but we don’t know if he will or not,” Mr Fleming’s brother, Bobby, told UTV exclusively.
Damien Fleming was attacked by a loyalist mob near his Coleraine home on Sunday, after disturbances flared between Rangers and Celtic fans.
His friend community worker Kevin McDaid was killed just feet away.
The family took the picture and gave it to UTV on Thursday, on the same day as nine men appeared in court charged with his attempted murder along with the murder of Kevin McDaid.
“Look at him. Would you like your brother, sister, mother, father lying like that? No, you wouldn’t. Is it worthwhile?” Bobby Fleming asked.
“We’re human. Hurt nobody else,” he then urged.
Meanwhile, the Irish Congress of Trade Unions supported an Anti Sectarianism Rally on Friday held by the Derry Trades Council.
ICTU President Patricia McKeown said: “Words of condemnation must be matched in actions and resources particularly at community level to challenge sectarian divisions if our society is to move forward.”
Formal complaint
On Friday, the family of Kevin McDaid issued a statement through their solicitors in which they confirm they have lodged a formal complaint to the Police Ombudsman about what they claim was a failure by the PSNI to properly protect the family against potential loyalist violence.
“The family wish to make it clear that they are concerned that the PSNI were involved in negotiations with a number of persons perceived to be from the Loyalist community on Sunday the 24th of May 2009.
“They are concerned regarding the nature of these negotiations and the attendant claim that threats were made by individuals from this background to police that violence would ensue unless certain demands made by them were met.”
The 49-year-old died after being beaten by a loyalist gang close to his home in the Somerset Drive area of the Heights estate.
In the statement they have also thanked everyone who has offered them support since the murder and praised the staff at the Causeway Hospital in Coleraine.
“We would like to express our thanks to all those who have offered their support and condolences both locally and from further afield. This has been a source of enormous strength to the family.”
The family have appealed for people to assist the police investigation.
“We would appeal to all persons to assist the police investigation into this murder and the attack on Damien Fleming in whatever way possible. The people involved in this murderous attack and who entered Somerset Drive on Sunday night do not deserve any form of protection, nor are they friends of any community.”
Police deny wrongdoing
PSNI Assistant Chief Constable Judith Gillespie insisted police had worked hard to ease tensions on the day of the murder and had been quickly on the scene following the attack on Mr McDaid.
Meanwhile, Northern Ireland’s Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness, accused UDA paramilitaries of intimidating witnesses to the murder.
That follows a death threat from loyalists to one of the dead man’s sons just 48 hours after the killing.
On Friday both the First and Deputy First Ministers visited the family of Mr McDaid in Coleraine.
