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THE NUMBER OF paramilitary-style shootings in Northern Ireland has almost tripled in a year, police figures have revealed.
The attacks usually involve the victim being shot in the knees, elbows, ankle or thighs by paramilitaries who often claim it as a “punishment” for anti-social behaviour.
It happens within both loyalist and republican communities.
Between 1 October 2022 and 30 September 2023, there were 19 casualties of these shootings recorded by the PSNI.
This is a significant increase from the seven recorded during the previous 12 months.
There were five recorded attacks in September alone, the most in a month since June 2016 according to police.
Most took place in Belfast (nine), while there were four each in the Ards and North Down area, and the Derry City and Strabane area.
There were two attacks recorded in the Causeway Coast and Glens area.
A smaller increase was also recorded in the number of paramilitary-style assaults.
This type of attack usually involves the victim being set upon with weapons such as iron bars or baseball bats as a “punishment”.
Some 33 casualties of paramilitary-style assaults were recorded in the last 12 months compared to 29 during the previous 12 months.
Most took place in Belfast (14), more than twice the total for the capital in the previous year (six).
The latest PSNI recorded security situation statistics, compiled by the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (Nisra), recorded one death considered to be security related.
Sean Fox (42) was shot dead at a west Belfast social club in front of more than 100 people in October last year.
Police have not attribute the murder to a particular organisation but said it bore “the hallmarks of dissident republican killings”.
The PSNI recently issued a fresh appeal for information about the murder on the first anniversary.
An increase in the number of bombing incidents across Northern Ireland was also recorded, seven, up from four in the previous 12 month.
Meanwhile the statistics recorded 120 security related arrests under Section 41 of the Terrorism Act 2000, compared to 119 during the previous 12 months.
And some 28 people were subsequently charged, twice the number during the previous 12 months (14).
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Darwin award goes to…
Age 15: Legally allowed to drive a car on a motorway
Age 17: Legally allowed to join the army
Age 18: Legally allowed to smoke, vote
Age 21: Legally allowed to have a pint of beer
What a country!
and in some states legally allowed marry at 14.
Own a firearm?
You need a car to get around in most parts of America.
Combine the necessity of car driving with teen drinking and what do you get?
Oh my God! I feel terrible for the girls that hit him, they’ll be traumatised for life.
Why didn’t he wear a big foot costume instead of dressing up as a bush
Ah classic
Wandering around a road wearing a suit that’s designed to make you extremely difficult to see was never going to end well
Sa-squashed?
Rory, you owe me a new computer screen. I laughed so much at your comment I blew tea out my nose all over it! (You made comment of the decade there!)
The BIG fool, why would you want to do that ?????? Also questions want to be asked as to why a 15 year old was driving along the highway
??? They were legally entitled to drive
In america its legal
……borin….
Idiotic thing to do
Run over by two cars in, wait for it, Flathead County. This stuff writes itself.
If Gillette made automobiles, he would have been run over by 7 cars!
Remember 1, look for a safe place 2 don’t hurry stop and wait 3 look all around and listen before you cross the road 4 let all the traffic pass you 5 while walking straight across you don’t in any circumstances dress up in a shitty Bigfoot costume..
I may have actually sang the tune to that whilst reading…
Haaa me to Brian, u forgot “remember” tho :-)
Obviously pretty good camouflage so
Oh America, you don’t seem to realise the Darwin Awards are not an actual competition….
Thank god it wasn’t the real big foot! What would inspire you to do it on a motorway!
A Highway is not a motorway. This was most likely one lane in each direction, no dividing barrier.
Oh that actually seems much more sensible then…… /:
Yeh, so long as you stay away from the freeways you should be alright…
…..they would a buried im at sea….like OBL
anybody got a little sympathy for the guy?ok,it was obviously a prank that went horribly wrong,but he paid for it with his life! poor guy,but yes,absolutely a daft thing to do.
Hmmm… perhaps not a good reflection of humankind but I really enjoyed this article….and comments…
Nighttime, busy highway, yeti wears camouflage? Idiot.
I heard that on the same stretch of highway last week a Bigfoot got knocked down dressed up as a man……strange it didn’t get that much coverage …….that’s news for ya
Let he amongst you who ” in your college days never dressed up as a yeti and danced like Michael Flatley on the Red Cow roundabout” cast the first stone. RIP bro. It was a prank that went horribly wrong !
Plonker
I did hear that motorways are very squatchy alright. The guys will have to send BoBo down to investigate.
Flathead county by name flathead by stupidity
Gonsh@te
in cork hed be known as a langer
Main roads are not to be played on.
A man is killed and everyone of you are cracking jokes! Shame on you all!!
…..rodger on that…..
S’got to be a bigfoot pun in there somewhere.
Big D’oh!
idiot. unlucky!
have your say