Northern Ireland Mum intimidated by masked men begs for threat to be lifted

A mother who fled North Down after she was ordered out by a masked gang has begged for the threat to be lifted.

Hannah Marshall has broken her silence to speak out about a shocking act of intimidation caught on doorbell footage.

Police are investigating a paramilitary link.

Speaking exclusively to UTV, Hannah said she had no choice but to leave her sister's home for her family's safety.

In July, masked men arrived at the door with a sinister message.

''You've 24 hours to get out. If you are back in North Down, the house is getting it'', they said.

Hannah Marshall, herself a mother of three, singled out and named by the gang on the doorstep, has decided to go public because she is desperate.

The act of intimidation caught on camera took place at the beginning of July.

Hannah insists she has done nothing to deserve it.

"I've been targeted just for basically having a few words, and now that I'm speaking out and have stood up to them, I've been targeted even more", she said.

 Police are investigating a paramilitary link and treating the incident as intimidation.

Once Hannah moved out, the threat against her sister was lifted.

Hannah said: "I didn't want any trouble coming to my sister. I left because they threatened that her house would get wrecked. It is shocking."

The threat still hangs over Hannah and she has received another one since.

Now, living away from the family she wants to be close to, she had this message: "How would you feel if that was your mother? How would you feel if that was your granny? How would you feel if that was your family? 

"You know, all I want is left alone. Is that so hard to ask for? I just want this threat lifted and a home beside my family. That is all I want."

All of this has taken a heavy toll on Hannah, the 32 year-old has suffered a breakdown. 

She said: "I shouldn't be going through this, you know. In this day and age, nobody should be going through this. 

"Nobody should be taking the law into their own hands either." 

Justice Minister Naomi Long commended Hannah for her courage in talking about "what is going on in our community". 

"[Hannah] is not the only person going through this at the moment, and I would encourage other people hopefully to be encouraged by her, to feel confident enough to speak up and speak out", she said.

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