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Pregnant wife sees husband killed | Pregnant wife sees husband killed |
(about 2 hours later) | |
Three people have been arrested after the murder of a man in west Belfast in front of his heavily pregnant wife. | |
John Mongan, 30, a member of the Travelling community, was attacked with machetes and hatchets by a gang who burst into his Fallswater Street home. | |
His wife, Julia, gave birth just hours later. The couple's two other children were in the house. | |
Police arrested two men, aged 32 and 37, in Londonderry and later arrested a 68-year-old woman, also in Derry. | |
The attack happened at about 0200 GMT on Thursday. | The attack happened at about 0200 GMT on Thursday. |
Mr Mongan's vehicle was smashed by the gang as they left. | |
His brother spoke of the family's shock. | His brother spoke of the family's shock. |
Police examined the scene after the attack | |
"At two or three o'clock this morning they booted his door and murdered him in his bed for nothing," he said. | "At two or three o'clock this morning they booted his door and murdered him in his bed for nothing," he said. |
"His wife was injured to the back of her head, a cut to the back. They have only been there about two or three months." | |
According to relatives, other members of the family have been previously attacked. | According to relatives, other members of the family have been previously attacked. |
Police have appealed for calm in the area and for anyone with information to contact them. | |
Derek Hanway, director of Murnia Tober Traveller Centre, said that people were appalled. | |
"The community is just in a state of shock," he said. | |
"Nobody can say what the motive is for this, but for a woman to see her husband murdered in such an awful fashion, and then having to go through the ordeal of having a baby just hours later..." |