Police investigate memorial garden attack as criminal damage ‘hate crime’

By Rebecca Black (Press Association)

Police are investigating an attack on a memorial to two men killed during the Troubles as criminal damage “hate crime”.

The memorial to Jimmy McCurrie and Bobby Neill, close to where they were shot dead on the lower Newtownards Road in east Belfast by the Provisional IRA in June 1970, had paint thrown over it.

DUP councillor Bradley Ferguson condemned the incident, saying the memorial had also been attacked in 2024.

He said: “The McCurrie family made me aware of the latest attack on the memorial, which is not just an insult to those commemorated on it, but particularly to the families, including Jimmy McCurrie’s wife who is now 96 years old and is having to deal with being retraumatised by yet another sectarian attack on this memorial.

“It is important there is leadership from across the community to condemn this attack.

“Also, anyone with information should contact the police to assist with identifying those responsible.

“Attacks on this memorial, and on the families who take comfort from it must stop.”

A police spokesperson said they were treating the incident as “hate crime” criminal damage, and appealed for witnesses and information.

They said: “We received a report at around 10.35pm on Wednesday, 29th July that a memorial park in the Newtownards Road area had been paint-bombed.

“This is being treated as a hate crime and our inquiries are ongoing.

“We would appeal to anyone with information to contact police using our witness appeal form at https://reporting.psni.police.uk/appeals, quoting reference 2066 of 29/07/26, or call us on 101.”