AN adult and two juveniles will appear in Derry Magistrates court later today charged with the attempted murder of Mr Ivan Heatherington (21) on Saturday night.
Mr Heatherington's condition remained serious at the city's Altnagelvin Hospital last night. A Protestant from the Clooney area of Derry's Waterside, he sustained serious head injuries in a savage sectarian attack as he made his way home after visiting friends.
He was placed on a life support machine shortly after his admission to hospital.
The assault has been widely condemned by politicians in Northern Ireland. The Ulster Unionist deputy leader, Mr John Taylor, claimed the attack was in revenge for the death of a Portadown Catholic, Mr Robert Hamill, who died on Thursday after being beaten by Protestants.
However, the Ulster Democratic Party's Derry spokesman, Mr David Nicholl, claimed there was no link between the two assaults. "It was just wanton bigoted sectarianism," Mr Nicholl said.
He said there had been a slight improvement in Mr Heatherington's condition.
Calling for calm, Sinn Fein's new MidUlster MP, Mr Martin McGuinness, said it was incumbent on all political lenders to impress on their respective communities the dangerous consequences of such "mindless attacks".
