East Belfast: PSNI apologise over hate crime response

Police have apologised to a couple for "an avoidable delay" in responding to an attack in east Belfast.

The couple have said they will not return to their home after the incident, which police have said was a hate crime.

Sectarian abuse was shouted at the couple and the woman said she was hit on the head with a traffic cone.

A 16-year-old boy who had been arrested has since been released on police bail pending further inquiries.

The couple had criticised the police, arguing they were too slow to respond after they told them they had been the victim of a hate crime.

In a statement issued on Wednesday evening, Assistant Chief Constable Bobby Singleton said: "Following a review of our initial handling of this incident, police have apologised to the reporting persons for what we have concluded was an avoidable delay in our response to this hate crime.

"We will ensure that lessons are quickly learnt and applied to prevent any future recurrence."

Police had previously said the response time was just under one hour.

They said they received a report of a car being damaged in the east of the city shortly after 20.00 BST on 24 June.

The couple said they had lived peacefully in the street for two years but "we can't ever go back there".

They said last Friday their car was vandalised before a crowd of youths gathered outside their home.

Sectarian abuse was shouted, they said, before a traffic cone was thrown at their door hitting the woman.

Police assisted the couple to leave the property on Saturday.