A UDA-led campaign of violence against Catholic families in north Belfast was launched after a GAA jersey was worn in a mixed housing development.
The UDA has been blamed for launching sectarian attacks against homes in the Annalee and Alloa Street areas since May.
It has now emerged that one victim is set to take legal action against a local housing association, claiming it has “failed to take reasonable steps to protect” her and her children.
Damged Houses in the mixed Annalee Street area of North Belfast.
PICTURE: COLM LENAGHAN
The terrified mother fled her Annalee Street home three weeks ago after two of her children, aged 10 and 5, were threatened and ordered from a local playpark by a grown man.
The woman alleges she was later threatened and assaulted by the man and called a “Fenian bast**d.
She decided to flee with her children, whose ages range from 16-5, after being told that a pipe bomb would be put through her window.
The woman, who is too frightened to be named, said her mental health has been impacted.
“All I do is cry and I am just stressed out constantly,” she said.
“And my anxiety, I can’t even sleep, just thinking I have to move house again.”
While she moved into the Annalee area last December, it wasn’t until May that local Catholics were singled out.
“Windows were smashed, not mine, but there was bricks lying in my front garden, there was a couple of other houses that (had their windows) smashed, which were Catholic houses.
“I was apparently because somebody was wearing a GAA top.”
“We were told we had to get out back then.”
The woman added that things were “fine” for a while until the recent incident involving her children at a local playpark.
She revealed that initially the small family had to be split up as they took emergency shelter with friends and relatives.
Legal correspondence reveals the impact on her children, with one young child suffering from anxiety, resulting in bed wetting.
Another sibling has suffered “head bleeding from picking at cuts caused by anxiety” while all the children experience “ongoing distress, sleepiness and emotional trauma”.
The woman asserts that Clanmill housing “failed to engage appropriately with residents facing threats of violence and intimidation”.
“Despite being notified of the attacks and ongoing threats, Clanmill Housing Association has neither consulted with the applicant regarding her immediate housing needs nor liaised effectively with the Northern Ireland Housing Executive, the PSNI, or relevant community agencies to put in place protective or preventative measures,” legal documents allege.
The woman’s solicitor Jack Murphy, of McIvor Farrell Solicitors, said his client and her children “were forced to flee their home after sustained threats from loyalist paramilitaries.
“The family has been left in unsafe and wholly inadequate accommodation, suffering severe trauma and fear.
“Despite clear evidence of the risks they face, public authorities have failed to take effective action to protect them.
“We have now issued pre-action correspondence against Clanmill Housing Association and are considering further legal action against relevant state bodies who, in our view, have neglected their duty to safeguard our client, her children, and other Catholic families in the area from paramilitary violence.”
A spokeswoman said Clanmill Housing Association said: ““Everyone should be allowed to live in peace and feel safe in their home, free from intimidation or threat.
“The safety and wellbeing of our customers at Annalee Street and Alloa Street remain our priority and we have, and are continuing to do all we can as a landlord to support them.”
The association said the north is “facing an acute housing shortage with 49,000 people currently on the social housing waiting list and significant pressure for homes”.
“We are working closely with the Northern Ireland Housing Executive and other housing associations to identify suitable alternative homes for our customers,” the spokeswoman added.
“We have also been continuing to work with our customers and their representatives, the PSNI, local community and political representatives and other statutory agencies, both to support our customers and towards ensuring that these homes are safe and welcoming for everyone.”