Violence erupts at Co Antrim railway station

Rail travellers looked on in horror as a small town train station became a scene of terrifying violence.

It was Saturday evening in Ballymoney, Co. Antrim, and the little Victorian red-brick station was about to welcome families coming home from a day at the seaside.

Instead, horrified mums and dads kept their children close as fighting broke out inside their stationary train and then spilled out on the platform.

One passenger videoed the incident and the footage was widely shared online. The gruesome video shows a large number of young people, many of them kicking and punching.

At one point, a middle-aged man is seen lying helpless on the platform, and he is kicked repeatedly in the head and body.

DUP representative Ivor Wallace is the chair of the local Police and Community Safety Partnership.

Cllr Wallace told UTV: "This was an absolutely disgusting attack. There were families present, and I'm sure that for those who were there at the time it was very distressing. I just don't how to describe it other than thuggery."

A number of people were treated for injuries at the scene, and one 14 year-old boy was taken to hospital.

The police have cautioned at least three people, and officers are appealing for witnesses to help identify those involved in the disorder.

Northern Ireland's train operator Translink condemned the violence and said it would assist the police investigation by providing CCTV recordings from the station platform and from inside the train itself.

The company says its top priority at times is the safety of its passengers and staff.

Today rail users in Ballymoney said they won’t be deterred from travelling by train.

One pensioner declared, "I won't be put off by louts."

And a young mother with a toddler said it was important for the police to get a grip on this kind of public disorder: "It's all too easy to find yourself in the middle of this kind of violence, and it's really frightening."

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