Belfast stabbing victim’s condition ‘improving’ and he may soon come out of coma
The condition of the Belfast stabbing victim is “improving” and he could be awoken from a coma within the next 48 hours, DUP leader Gavin Robinson said.
Stephen Ogilvie lost his left eye and suffered deep cuts to his head, face and back in a stabbing attack on Monday night which preceded two nights of disorder in Northern Ireland. Twelve police officers were injured, 16 arrests were made and two people were charged following Wednesday night’s unrest. Northern Ireland Secretary Hilary Benn met political parties at Stormont to discuss the fallout after violent scenes in which cars and homes were set on fire and a nurse intimidated while on her way to work at Ulster Hospital. Mr Robinson, MP for Belfast East, said he met the parents of Mr Ogilvie on Thursday afternoon and that the family were “broken” after what had happened to their son. “They have spoken very powerfully, in my view, that their desire is that what happened to their son on Monday evening is not used as an excuse for intimidation or division within our society,” Mr Robinson said at Stormont. “They have asked me to share that whilst their son remains in a coma, his condition is improving. “They hope, pray and trust that he will be released from that coma within the next 24 or 48 hours, at which point assessments will be made about his sight and other impacts from the atrocity that happened on Monday evening. “They are grateful for support, but they particularly are calling for an end to the misinformation, the falsehoods and the lies that are only making a very difficult situation all the worse.” Hadi Alodid, 30, appeared in court on Wednesday charged with Mr Ogilvie’s attempted murder over Monday’s knife attack. The reaction to the incident saw mobs set homes, a bus and cars on fire in Belfast on Tuesday, with people targeted based on their race. Water cannons were deployed on protesters in Co Antrim on Wednesday night after police were pelted with bricks and a Department for Infrastructure vehicle was left in flames. PSNI Assistant Chief Constable Ryan Henderson told reporters the justice system “stands ready to give long sentences to those bringing disorder to our streets”. The senior officer said police will be “back on the ground” in the city with “bolstered” numbers on Thursday evening. He told reporters officers from Great Britain have been drafted in to help prevent disorder. Police and politicians have also condemned the intimidation of healthcare workers in Belfast during the recent riots. Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) leader Jon Burrows said that people who intimidate nurses are “the scum of the earth”. “If they think they are patriots by pursuing and intimidating the people who are caring for our own citizens, they are traitors to our country,” he said at Stormont. “When the police get hold of them, they should arrest them, they should charge them, they should remand them and the judge should give them an exemplary sentence.” Mr Henderson said: “I want to turn next to the disgraceful threats and intimidation directed to our nurses, doctors, carers and healthcare staff, men and women who work every day to save lives and care for our sick relatives, they are the backbone of our public service. “Tonight we will be increasing our patrols of key areas. I have been talking to colleagues within health trusts and others to hear their concerns about their staff welfare.” Questions have also been raised about co-operation between the UK and Irish governments and the Northern Ireland Executive over border controls and immigration roles. Mr Benn, Irish Justice Minister Jim O’Callaghan and Stormont Justice Minister Naomi Long spoke by phone to discuss protecting and preventing the “abuse” of the Common Travel Area (CTA) in the wake of the Belfast stabbing. Mr O’Callaghan emphasised to Ms Long and Mr Benn the “significant” border management operations taking place at Dublin Airport. Alodid, a Sudanese national, entered Northern Ireland across the Irish border by bus in February 2023, having flown to Dublin from Paris. Alodid then claimed asylum upon arrival and was granted leave to remain in the UK until 2028. The Daily Mail reported he was able to stay in Britain in 2023 after filling in a questionnaire rather than facing the standard interview. Mr Benn told Times Radio the fast-track asylum scheme is no longer in operation and asylum seekers are now “properly processed” in order for a decision to be made on whether they should be granted asylum. The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) has appealed for assistance in identifying individuals in images connected with Tuesday night’s disorder. The force also urged those in the pictures to come forward to police.
Published: by Radio NewsHub