Loyalists accused of attacking hospital staff

Loyalist paramilitaries were tonight accused of attacking and abusing staff inside Belfast’s Royal Victoria Hospital.

The RUC was studying a video tape of an incident in the hospital casualty department in which a number of hospital staff were injured by people who claimed to be members of the Loyalist Volunteer Force.

The hospital said staff were physically assaulted, had their lives threatened and were spat upon.

Hospital medical director, Dr Ian Carson condemned the attacks and threats as deplorable.

He said: ‘‘Our personnel are drawn from all sections of the community and they provide vital services for that community.

‘‘It is intolerable that people purporting to have interests in patients receiving crucial care, should subject staff to physical and verbal abuse and threaten their lives.’’

Dr Carson added: ‘‘This disgraceful behaviour must stop immediately and be condemned by all, especially those who would have influence in the group to which these people claim to belong.’’

The RUC confirmed they were carrying out an investigation in the trouble in the hospital which look place early on Saturday morning but which was only revealed tonight.

Meanwhile loyalists were also being blamed for bomb attacks on a Catholic Church in Co Tyrone and a Catholic family’s home in Co Londonderry.

A pipe bomb shattered a window and caused minor damage at the Glennock Chapel at Newtownstewart and a similar device was defused after being thrown at a Catholic home in Coleraine.

Police believe the attacks were made during the night, the latest in a long and growing series of sectarian attacks carrie out by loyalist paramilitaries.

The Coleraine device was found on the doorstep of the Kylemore Road house and police issued an urgent appeal for people not to touch anything suspicious after it was revealed a man visiting the family picked up the device before realising what it was.

Over 20 families in the street were evacuated from their homes while army bomb disposal experts spent three hours making the bomb safe.

The RUC said the fuse had been lit but it had burned itself out before the bomb exploded.

In January another unexploded device was found at the house next door.

The attack on the Co Tyrone church was only discovered when worshippers arrived for Sunday morning service.

In Armagh pipe bomb was defused after being found stored in the roof space of a flat in Gough Avenue. There were no arrests.