NEWS

North Antrim MLA Jon Burrows North Antrim MLA Jon Burrows has appealed for calm following the Public Prosecution Service’s decision to withdraw attempted rape charges against two teenage boys in relation to a reported sexual assault in Ballymena earlier this year. The charges, stemming from allegations reported on 7th June 2025, were formally withdrawn at Laganside Youth Court on Friday, 28 November, after what the PPS described as “significant evidential developments”. Both

The Public Prosecution Service (PPS) has formally withdrawn attempted rape charges brought against two juvenile boys in connection with a reported sexual assault in Ballymena earlier this year. The charges, which related to an alleged incident on Saturday 7th June 2025, were withdrawn at Laganside Youth Court on Friday, 28 November. Both the PPS and senior detectives from the Police Service of Northern Ireland’s (PSNI) Public Protection Branch met with the complainant and her

A man wanted in connection with child sexual offences in Ballymena has been extradited from Spain to Northern Ireland, five years after he allegedly failed to answer bail. The 45-year-old suspect was transferred back to Northern Ireland on Thursday, 27 November 2025, following his arrest earlier this year in the Canary Islands. He is wanted to stand trial for five offences of sexual activity with a child, alleged to have taken place in the Ballymena area in August and October

Police have launched an urgent appeal for information after a man in his 20s was left in a critical condition following a hit and run collision in Craigavon on Monday, 24 November. The incident occurred shortly after 7.20pm in the Enniskeen area, where police say a man and a van were involved in a collision. The vehicle did not stop at the scene. Inspector Campbell said: “Shortly after 7.20pm, it was reported that a man and a van had been involved in a collision in the Ennisk

Police officers across Northern Ireland seized 58 uninsured vehicles in a week-long enforcement operation targeting illegal drivers, as part of the UK-wide Op Drive Insured campaign. The initiative, which ran from 10 to 16 November and is supported by the Motor Insurers’ Bureau (MIB), aimed to remove uninsured drivers from the roads and highlight the financial and safety risks associated with motoring without appropriate cover. Superintendent Jonathan Wilson said the operatio

The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) has launched its annual Christmas policing operation, Operation Season’s Greetings, aimed at keeping people safe throughout the festive period and into the New Year. The initiative, unveiled on Monday 24th November, will see increased police visibility and patrols across towns and cities, with a strong focus on shopping districts, nightlife venues and public transport hubs. Both uniformed and plain-clothed officers will be deploye

Police in Ballymoney have issued a fresh warning to motorists after an uninsured vehicle was taken off the road, leaving both the driver and the owner with a combined 12 penalty points and £410 in fines. Officers from the Ballymoney and Moyle Neighbourhood Policing Team (NPT) stopped the car earlier today as part of ongoing road safety checks. During the stop, police established that the person behind the wheel had no valid insurance to drive the vehicle — and the owner, who

PSNI police vehicle which was rammed off the road and through a fence Police have arrested a man in his 40s after a police vehicle was rammed off the road in Belfast on Sunday, 23 November, leaving three officers injured. The incident began at around 4.45pm, when officers on patrol in the Ballysillan Road area reported spotting a silver Ford Focus driving in a suspicious manner. Chief Inspector Claire Hamilton said: “At approximately 4.45pm, officers on patrol in the Ballysil

Sentenced: Harvey Shaw (20) A 20-year-old man has been handed a prison sentence for his involvement in large-scale disorder in Ballymena earlier this year. Harvey Shaw, also known as Harvey John Lee Shaw, was sentenced at Antrim Crown Court on Monday 24 November to 24 months in custody after being convicted of Riot. Shaw, from Ballymena, was arrested for his role in the sustained “race-motivated disorder” that took place in the town on Tuesday 10 June 2025. Police described

The white Yamaha 450 Kodiak quad bike stolen from Larne Police have launched an appeal for information following the theft of a grey Yamaha 450 Kodiak quad bike in the Deerpark Road area of Larne. The incident occurred at around 9pm on Thursday 20 November 2025, when the £7,000 vehicle was taken from a rural property. Officers are urging anyone who may have witnessed suspicious activity, or who may hold potentially relevant footage, to come forward. In a statement, police sa

Two people have died following a serious road traffic collision in Glenavy, the Police Service of Northern Ireland has confirmed. The fatal crash occurred on Saturday, 22nd November, shortly after 6.25pm on the Lurgan Road. Emergency services were called to the scene following reports of a collision involving a grey Skoda Fabia and a grey Cupra Formentor. Chief Inspector Simpson of the PSNI’s Collision Investigation Unit said: “Shortly after 6.25pm, we received a report of a

Deputy Chief Constable Bobby Singleton and Elaine McCormill, Police Federation for Northern Ireland pictured with some of the damaged police vehicles. The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) has condemned a rising wave of violent incidents against officers, with more than 2,600 assaults and over 100 police vehicle rammings recorded in the past year. Deputy Chief Constable Bobby Singleton labelled the attacks “shocking and disgusting” and urged the public to show greate

The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) has formally identified the man who died in a two-vehicle collision on the Windyhill Road between Limavady and Coleraine. The victim has been confirmed as 57-year-old David Elder, from the Ballymoney area. Mr Elder tragically died at the scene of Thursday’s crash, which occurred shortly after 9.45am and involved a lorry and a white Peugeot Partner van. The Windyhill Road remained closed for several hours on Thursday, 20 November,

A man has died following a two-vehicle road traffic collision on Windyhill Road, between Limavady and Coleraine, on Thursday 20 November, the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) has confirmed. The incident, which occurred shortly after 9.45am, involved a lorry and a white Peugeot Partner van. Chief Inspector Celeste Simpson, from the Collision Investigation Unit , said: “Police received a report shortly after 9.45am, on Thursday morning, of a collision involving a lorry

(L-R) Denise McVeigh from Mid and East Antrim Borough Council's Parks and Open Spaces team, PSNI Inspector Colin Ash, PCSP Chair Cllr Lauren Gray, PCSP Vice Chair Sharon Maxwell, and Local Neighbourhood PSNI Officer Julie McKeown. (Images: Steven McAuley) Women across Mid and East Antrim are being encouraged to take part in a special night-time personal safety walk in Larne this December, as part of a partnership initiative between the borough’s Policing and Community Safety

Two police officers were injured after their vehicle was deliberately rammed during an incident in Maghera on Tuesday night. The collision occurred at around 10.20pm on Tuesday, 18 November, after police received reports of a van “speeding and swerving dangerously” on the Glenshane Pass. When officers arrived in the area, the van was observed travelling on the wrong side of the carriageway, heading directly towards oncoming traffic. Police say the 18-year-old male driver the

Police have arrested a man following a reported hit-and-run collision in Coleraine on Sunday, 16 November, which left a motorcyclist injured. Officers said the incident occurred in the Willowfield Park area, where a man in his 50s, who had been riding a motorcycle, was struck by a grey Audi car. He was taken to hospital for treatment to injuries to his leg and arm. A woman at the scene attempted to intervene when the collision happened, signalling for the driver to stop and p

Nine police officers from Derry City & Strabane were assaulted over the weekend while responding to four separate incidents, prompting renewed calls for greater respect and protection for frontline emergency service workers. According to the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI), the incidents occurred across the Strabane area and Derry city, where officers were “kicked, verbally abused, bitten, spat on and punched” as they attempted to keep the public safe. The assaults

The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) is urging shoppers to tighten the security on their online retail accounts amid a rise in hacking attempts targeting retail apps in the run-up to Christmas. The warning comes as the UK-wide Protect Network reports an increase in incidents where criminals have gained access to customer accounts to make unauthorised purchases. These include “buy now, pay later” transactions and online credit agreements carried out without the acco

Meat and other foodstuffs are among the items most frequently stolen from shops in Mid and East Antrim, according to crime prevention officer Paul Black. The PSNI officer told the Local Democracy Reporting Service that there has been “a big increase in shoplifting” in the borough since the pandemic. “There are two types – those who are desperate for food and those who are stealing to order,” he said. Speaking at a public meeting of the Mid and East Antrim Policing and Comm