A Northern Ireland mum has said she is unable to sleep after seeing a video of an alleged sectarian attack on her son.
A 14-year-old boy was attacked in the Stiles Hill area of Antrim on December 30, with a video of the incident showing him being repeatedly punched and kicked in the head while on the ground.
It has been alleged that one of the attackers was a man in his 30s.
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Speaking to Belfast Live, the boy's mum said that she has been unable to sleep after seeing a video of the attack and claimed that the group shouted "kick the taig in the head", during the assault.
She said: "My son had been visiting family in the area when the attack took place. A young relative of his had £5 taken from him by the group and when my son confronted them about it, he was viciously attacked. It is shocking that this has happened to him and he has become very withdrawn since it all and doesn't want to leave the house.
"I am also dealing with the impact of seeing a video of the attack and have been unable to sleep since due to the trauma of seeing what happened to my son."
Police say they received a report on January 8, regarding the attack on December 30, that a 14-year-old boy had been assaulted by a group after money had been stolen from a 10-year-old.
Sergeant Graham said: "The boy received injuries to his head and leg which, thankfully, are not thought to be serious at this time. It was reported that those involved also used sectarian slurs toward the boy, and as such we are treating this as a hate crime.
"Shockingly, it appears that at least one of the people involved was a grown adult. Our enquiries are ongoing, and we would appeal to anyone who was in the area between 3.30pm and 4.30pm, who witnessed the assault take place, contact us on 101, quoting reference 989 of 08/01/25."
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