County Armagh stabbing: 15-year-old girl has emergency surgery after violent attack

Appeal for witnesses after schoolgirl hospitalised with potentially life-threatening neck injuries

Zamira Rahim
Saturday 20 April 2019 18:39 BST
The girl was stabbed on Deans Walk, Lurgan
The girl was stabbed on Deans Walk, Lurgan

A teenage girl is in a stable condition after being stabbed in the neck in Northern Ireland.

The 15-year-old girl was attacked in Lurgan, County Armagh, at around 9pm on Friday night.

The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) appealed for witnesses on Twitter after the stabbing, adding: “Another teenager is helping police with enquiries.”

Police officers closed Deans Walk, the street on which the attack took place, as they continued their investigation.

“This is a shocking incident and anyone with information that helps the police in their investigation should bring it forward,” said Liam Mackle, a Sinn Fein councillor for Lurgan.

A spokesperson for the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service said an emergency crew treated the teenage girl at the scene before taking her to Craigavon Area Hospital.

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She was subsequently transferred to the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast, where she underwent emergency surgery for potentially life-threatening injuries, according to RTE.

A spokesman for the Belfast Trust said the teenager’s condition was now “stable”.

“I spoke to the police this evening and I understand the very young teenage girl is in surgery,” Dolores Kelly, MLA for Upper Bann, said on Friday.

“I understand someone is being spoken to in relation to this incident and if any one has any information, I would appeal for them to come forward to assist the PSNI in their enquiries,” she added, according to the Lurgan Mail.

Anyone with information is urged to contact the PSNI on 101

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