Northern Ireland's Sunday news headlines: Burglary, hate crime, flooding, drugs find

Sarah Clarke presents UTV Live on Sunday 7 April 2024

CASTLEREAGH BURGLARY

A woman and four young children have been left extremely distressed after four masked men armed with a screwdriver broke into their home.

The incident happened around 10:45 last night on Greenwood Hill in Castlereagh. The woman and children were taken to an upstairs bedroom by two of the men, while the other two ransacked the home. A quantity of jewellery and a tablet were stolen. Police would like to speak to anyone who saw a white Volkswagen golf in the area and are asking locals to check CCTV and doorbell footage.

CROSSMAGLEN

The PSNI says it has not been possible to attribute a haul of weapons found during a search in south Armagh last year to any one group.

A significant cache was found, including ten firearms, a telescopic sight, magazines and a large quantity of ammunition, during the search operation in Crossmaglen. Officers found the weapons and ammunition in a constructed hide, which was buried in a hedgerow on agricultural land.

HATE CRIME

Police are treating graffiti sprayed on a house in Belfast as a hate crime.

They believe the message was daubed on the house in the Sicily Park area in the south of the city between 2 and 4 this morning. Police say "the sentiment expressed is unacceptable".

WATER CHANGES

The Minister for Infrastructure has ruled out introducing water charges here as a solution to the future funding of NI Water.

The matter will be debated by the Assembly tomorrow when Stormont returns form Easter recess. Speaking ahead of the debate, John O'Dowd blamed problems with water infrastructure on the Conservative government.

BELFAST DRUGS

The PSNI have seized over a million pounds of drugs at Belfast Port.

The herbal cannabis with an estimated street value of £1.25 million was found this morning. A 41-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of possession of Class B controlled drugs and possession of Class B controlled drugs with intent to supply.

STRANGFORD FLOOD

Roads in Strangford were flooded this morning as the town dealt with the aftermath of Storm Kathleen. Locals say it's the highest water levels had been in a decade. However, the water subsided this afternoon.

ULSTER RUGBY

Ulster staged a second-half fightback to reach the last 16 of the European Challenge Cup.

They beat Montpellier by 40 points to 17 in the second-tier competition. A red card for the French side a minute into the second period for a high tackle turned the game in Ulster's favour.

ULSTER SFC

In Gaelic games, the Ulster Senior Football Championship got underway this afternoon.

Cavan scored twice in stoppage time as they beat Monaghan 3-12 to 1-12 in Clones. Rory Beggan came off the bench to return to the Monaghan goal after his recent American football try-outs at the NFL Combine. Cavan will face Tyrone in a fortnight.

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