Disabled man from County Derry 'punched around head up to four times' in 'unprovoked attack'

The family of a disabled man say they have been left hurt and angry after he was assaulted in broad daylight for no apparent reason.

Cathal Heavern (46) was sitting on a bench at Main Street, Dungiven at around 7pm on Sunday, June 15 when he was approached by a male who allegedly punched him on the head up to four times.

Cathal, who is deaf, has Schizophrenia, a shrinking brain and the mentality of a 12 year-old, among other health issues, was left badly shaken following the attack which his family believe was ‘unprovoked’.

Speaking to the County Derry Post, the Dungiven man’s sister, Martena Heavern-Brooks, said they first became aware of the cowardly attack when a family friend contacted them.

A shocked Martena said her brother’s alleged attacker is known to the family and they would like him to come forward and explain his actions.

“I have been contacted by an eyewitness who said she saw the whole thing and Cathal didn’t do anything, he was just sitting there on the bench when it happened,” she said.

“The eyewitness said the man who attacked Cathal just swerved his van, nearly put her off the road, jumped out and just started punching him around the head.

“Cathal couldn’t get away, he just sat there sobbing.”

As Cathal is unable to hear or speak, he wasn’t able to tell those who came to his aid about what had just happened.

ABOVE: The bench on Dungiven's Main Street where Cathal was sitting when his family say he was attacked.

“The attack was unprovoked as far as we are aware. There was no verbal exchange or attempt to communicate. He just came over and laid into Cathal before jumping into the van and away again,” she said.

His heartbroken mum Ann added: “We would love to know why this man punched him? There must have been some reason. Cathal may have done something to upset him but we don’t believe he deserved to be attacked.”

The family say that Cathal is constantly subjected to abuse by ‘a small minority of people’ in the area.

“Cathal is always coming home saying people are hitting him or making a gun gesture towards his head,” Martena said.

“He’s tried to throw himself in the Foyle because people have said to him that the IRA are going to come and shoot him.

“Mammy has had to write him a note to show people saying that she can’t cope with him constantly coming home sobbing because people are being mean to him.”

Martena was quick to stress that lots of people also treat Cathal well and ‘look out for him’.

“I must stress that this is a small minority of people,” she continued.

“People don’t realise that there are other problems there with Cathal. Since this attack however I have received so many messages of support from people that do look out for him. I’ve seen young girls and guys in their twenties come up to him and throw their arms around him and give him a big cuddle. I just end up thanking them and they ask me ‘why’? I say ‘because you are being kind to my brother’.

“Since he was a child, Cathal has been tortured. When he was seven years-old, a couple of local lads thought it was funny to tie a rope around his neck and put itching powder down his throat and down his back before dragging him through the street. That night he ended up in hospital after having convulsions in bed.”

Cathal, a twin to his sister Lorraine, was born a healthy child, however at three months old he was admitted to Altnagelvin Hospital with a chest infection.

The family say that it was here that ‘he picked up a salmonella infection after a nurse who was caring for him had failed to wash her hands after eating a chicken sandwich for lunch’.

This virus led to Cathal contracting meningitis leaving him critically ill - at one point he had just 24 hours to live.

As a result, Cathal lost his hearing and developed Schizophrenia, however the family say they did not become aware of the latter condition until two years ago.

“We got no support, absolutely none when Cathal was a child. At the time we thought he was only deaf and back then deafness wasn’t recognised as a disability,” Kathleen said.

Ann added: “It was tough when he was wee because he broke and wrecked everything until he started getting medication.”

Martena said Cathal’s disabilities had a massive impact on all of the family when they were growing up.

“Mammy didn’t put him on medication because we were warned that medication would weaken his heart so we put up with what we were dealt until it got to the point where he was so big that he couldn’t be controlled.

“As children we didn’t get to go to school, we had to stay at home. He had every window put out in the house.

“We lived in a house that had basic chairs in the living room, a television that was bolted to the ceiling and we couldn’t have ornaments or nice things.

“Our schoolbags or anything precious had to be hidden under the floorboards in the bedroom.

“It wasn’t because Cathal was bad, it was just out of pure frustration. This hyperactivity that was within him couldn’t be controlled.”

The family believes that Cathal has been ‘failed by the hospital and by society’.

His mother Ann said: “ If he had been put on medication at the right time it would have saved the family a hell of a lot of bother. For instance he had to have a steel hospital cot when he was younger. I remember sitting trying to hold him in an ambulance taking him to the Royal Hospital in Belfast and him banging the head off me. He couldn’t be controlled.

“Cathal was sent to a school in Dublin with no information whatsoever about his problems. It was only when Cathal left school that we realised that he had been sent there without any of this information, it was all withheld.”

Martena said last week’s attack has further highlighted how people have taken advantage of her brother’s vulnerability.

“I say to people all the time ‘what do you think it is like for him?’ He doesn’t get people coming knocking on the door asking him to go out and have a pint, he gets no-one asking him ‘would you like to have a game of pool?’ He’s lost in his own world and has no-one to vent to.

“Cathal is different and it’s very apparent to me that people just think that he is naughty and a pain in the backside who is deaf but I would ask people to be kind and be tolerant.Think of his mother who has him 24-7 and who never gets a break.”

Ann added: “He doesn’t have a voice to defend himself.”

Referring to Cathal’s alleged attacker, Martena said they want him to give them a reason for his actions.

“We have given him every opportunity to come forward and tell us why he did it,” she continued.

“I don’t want anybody pointing the finger at this man’s family, they are not responsible for his actions and I don’t want anybody judging them on his bad behaviour. This is on him, nobody else.

“I would say shame on him for not picking the phone up when we’ve given him every opportunity to reach out.

“We are understanding, we have a listening ear and we are willing to listen to what people have to say but he has taken that from us. He hasn’t given us a voice. It is now in the hands of the police."

The PSNI have confirmed they are investigating the incident with Inspector Armour stating: “It was reported a man, aged in his 40s, was assaulted by another man at approximately 7pm on Sunday, 15th June at Main Street.

“It’s understood the victim was punched to the head by the suspect who embarked from a van. He was left extremely shaken by what happened.

“Thankfully, serious injuries were not reported. Our enquiries are continuing to determine what happened.

“Anyone with information is asked to contact police on 101, quoting reference number 817 20/06/25.”