Family escapes injury in gun attack on Down house

A 34-year-old Catholic man and his three children have escaped injury in a gun attack on their home in a mainly Protestant estate in Co Down this morning.

A number of shots were fired at the house on Calbert Way in Ballynahinch, shattering the living-room window.

The man of the house was in the room at the time, but was not injured. His children were in bed and also escaped injury.

The Ulster Defence Association has been blamed for carrying out the attack, which the SDLP has described as “disgraceful and despicable”.

The family, who are believed to be from the Greater Belfast area, had only moved into the estate two weeks ago.

One unnamed local resident said it was madness for the anyone to rent a house in the estate to Catholics as it was one of the most staunchly loyalist areas in south Down.

Meanwhile, a 37-year-old man is recovering this morning following a paramilitary-style punishment attack in Co Antrim.

The man suffered bruising to his body and a cut to his head when he was beaten with baseball bats by four masked men who broke into his house on Ardcaoin Drive in Dunmurray last night.

Bomb disposal experts also defused a pipe bomb discovered in the Whitewell area of north Belfast this morning.

Sinn Féin said the device was found outside the home of a nationalist family.