A 21-YEAR-OLD man was due to appear in court in Derry this morning in connection with a brutal attack which left a schoolboy fighting for his life. A second man, aged 28, remains in custody in the North.
The assault occurred during an attempted robbery at an isolated bungalow at Knockcloghrim, near Magherafelt, Co Derry, last Tuesday night. GCSE student Philip Convery was visiting his grandmother when two masked and armed intruders broke in.
Philip (16), his 70-year-old grandmother and 44-year-old uncle were all attacked, but the teenager bore the brunt of the assault. All three were treated in the Royal Victoria Hospital, where Philip’s condition was at one stage critical – although it has since improved to stable. He suffered serious head injuries and had emergency surgery. His grandmother sustained injuries to her legs where she was beaten.
The PSNI has repeatedly appealed for information, particularly on sightings of a dark blue four-door saloon car, possibly a Vauxhall Vectra, which had no rear number plate. It was seen heading towards Portglenone and then Ballymena after the attack.
Deputy First Minister and local MP Martin McGuinness called the incident a “very serious situation. This is a close-knit and quiet area and it will be left in a state of shock . . . Those behind this attack must be taken off our streets.”
Local Sinn Féin councillor Seán McPeake said: “They’re a good, hardworking family. For this to be bestowed upon them has left a sense of anger in this community.”