RELATIONS between the Protestant and Catholic communities in Portadown, Co Armagh, have always been strained but the Drumcree problem of the last two years in particular has put the situation on a knife-edge. Mr Robert Hamill's murder was a direct result of this sectarian hatred, his father, Mr Dessie Hamill, said yesterday.
Exhausted after a two-week vigil at his son's bedside at the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast, Mr Hamill, the father of 10 children, begged that no one avenge his son's death. Mr Robert Hamill, the father of two young boys, died after being beaten in the town centre.
His fiancee, Ms Caroline Maguire, who is expecting their third child in July, lived with Mr Hamill (25) in Lurgan. The couple were due to be married in October. She said she had no feelings for his killers.
I feel more sorry for them than anything else. I don't know what kind of people they are that can do this to anybody. You wouldn't do that to an animal. There's just so much hatred," she said.
Mr Ham ill was walking with his cousin's husband and two women cousins when a gang of around 30 loyalists set upon them. The four had been to a function in the Catholic-owned St Patrick's Hall and were returning through the centre of Portadown when the crowd pounced on them.
According to Mr Gregory Girvan (29), who was also hospitalised following the attack, they had spotted an RUC Land Rover on the main street and believed it was safe to cross towards Woodhouse Street, which leads to the nationalist side of town.
His wife, Joanne, said she lay on top of her husband to try and protect him from blows when he was unconscious. Her sister lay on top of Robert to try and protect him because he too was unconscious and unable to defend himself.
"We thought we'll be all right, the police is on the town tonight. The next thing I remember was Robert lying unconscious and Gregory lying unconscious. I can't remember where they came from. I knew Robert was hurt because Robert was a big fella.
"I knew if they had hit him and he fell he would have got straight back up. But he just lay down and he never put his hands up to protect himself. He just lay there and they were just kicking and kicking.
"I kept screaming for someone to get an ambulance but the police who were just 20 yards away didn't bother even getting out of their Land Rover. They must have heard me screaming" said Mrs Girvan, who said her sister went over to the Land Rover begging for help but the RUC still did not get out to assist.
She said the attackers danced on the men's heads and shouted "Die you Fenian bastards, die". Mrs Girvan said the gang watched as her husband and Robert were put into the ambulance 20 minutes later.
"The police are supposed to be there. We have as much right to walk that town as anyone else. The police don't show any impartiality. They probably thought it was just a couple of Fenians getting a beating. They are supposed to be our police force too. The Catholic people have no faith in the police," she said.
Ms Maguire was with her fiance just before he died. "It's going to be very tough. I just can't see any future at all but I know I will have to go on for the sake of the children. I never thought I would see the day without Robert. He was that good a creature.
Mr Dessie Hamill said: "I feel sorry for the boys that carried this out. I would not want their people to go through what I am going through.
"My son's death is the result of sectarianism. I know there are a lot of good Protestants. I thought this peace process would have been all right for everybody. I don't want anybody to be hurt out of this, a Protestant person or anybody else. I just want the whole crack to stop." We can't walk up the town at night. Portadown has just gone to the pits.
"I hope the politicians in Northern Ireland, especially Mr Paisley, get round with the more moderate politicians like Mr Hume and sort it out. I know these people have a hard task. I hope they will try to bring peace to Portadown and Northern Ireland. Maybe if they had to look at one of their own sons the way we had to look at Robert ... They are going to have to do something.
"He was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. They knew where he was coming from. They meant to do what they did. He didn't have a chance," he said.
Robert's older sister, Ms Diane Ham ill, a nurse, said her brother died because he did not receive enough oxygen when he was on the ground. "The police did not render any first aid. All they had to do was put him in the recovery position. I believe the RUC get first aid training," she said.