POLICE IN THE NORTH are treating the setting alight of a vehicle outside the home of an Aontú rep in Newry as a “sectarian hate crime”.

The incident happened in the Damolly Village area of the city at around 3.15am in the early hours of this morning.

Sharon Loughran said she is “still trying to process what happened” after she “awoke to the smell and sound of an inferno beside my home”.

Loughran has called on local community leaders to use their “influence to stop this shocking violence on the 12th of July”.

“I want to continue to work for my community. I have a human right to do so in peace,” said Loughran.

Describing the arson attack, Loughran said: “I looked out the window to see my car parked in my driveway consumed by flames.

“The heat was so much that the facia, pipes, electrics, and windows to my house have all been damaged by melting.

“My house is significantly damaged. I don’t have electricity and can’t use the water.”

Loughran described the incident as a “horrendous action” which could have “set my house on fire”.

“That this would happen to anyone in 2023 is incredible,” said Loughran.

“I cannot for the life of me understand why they are targeting me. I had no involvement in politics before joining Aontú.

“I am a paediatric nurse in Daisy Hill Hospital. The only reason I got involved in politics was to stop the closure of key services in Daisy Hill Hospital.”

The Newry hospital is at the centre of proposals that would see its bed capacity reduced by more than 100.

Loughran said her house was also daubed with UDA graffiti during the recent Northern Ireland Local Elections.

“But this is a radical escalation of that intimidation,” said Loughran.

She added: “I also can’t understand why they would target Aontú.

“Aontú is only 4 years old. We have no history or baggage from the past at all.”

A PSNI spokesperson said the suspect is described as around 5ft 10in, of slim build, and that they were wearing a light coloured top and light coloured bottoms.

“The exterior of the house also sustained extensive smoke damage. We are treating this as a sectarian hate crime,” added the spokesperson.

“This has obviously been very distressing for the victim and our investigation is underway and we are appealing to anyone who may have been in the area or who may have captured CCTV footage to contact us.”