‘I was on my hands and knees coughing up blood’... couple’s trauma after attack by five-man gang on city street
A WOMAN who was attacked with her partner in east Belfast has told how she has been unable to return to work as she continues to deal with the trauma.
Tina Rea (40) was walking home with fiance Simon Pollock (39) after a night out in the city celebrating her brother’s birthday on August 4 when they were set upon by a gang of five men in the My Lady’s Road area.
The attack left Ms Rea with a broken nose and nerve damage in her shoulder, which caused partial paralysis in her arm.
Mr Pollock, meanwhile, suffered four broken ribs.
He returned to work on August 12, but Ms Rea, who is an artist but also has a job in a restaurant, cannot return to her job because she “can’t deal” with the general public as she recovers from the physical and mental scars of the attack.
Recalling what happened that evening, Ms Rea said she and her partner were walking when they heard two men talking, one of whom said he was going to go home and beat up his girlfriend.
After questioning the men about this, one began following and circling the couple.
“He was trying to intimidate me, but he was also trying to get a rise out of my fiance by the way he was speaking to me,” explained Ms Rea.
“The same thing happened (on the Ravenhill Road). He started circling me and tried to goad me.
“I slagged off his shoes and he shoved me so hard that I fell to the ground.
“Simon lost his temper and he said to Simon, ‘You need to keep your b**** in line’.
“Simon picked me up and we started walking up My Lady’s Road, but the man was on his phone at that point.
“The next thing a bunch of others appeared and he just screamed, ‘ That’s them there’.”
At this point, five men attacked the couple and knocked Mr Pollock to the ground before they began kicking him.
As Ms Rea attempted to defend her partner, one of the men, believed to be in his 20s, punched her on the side of the head, choked her and punched her repeatedly in the face.
“There was a car that drove past and they started beeping the horn frantically,” she continued.
“That was the only reason they all dispersed — they all just ran.
“I’m not sure how long we were there for, but I was on my hands and knees coughing up blood for a long time.”
Since the traumatic ordeal Ms Rea has been putting on a front to try and hide her pain, but she admitted that underneath it she is far from okay.
She has attended a friend’s party since the attack, but after just two-and-a-half hours she was forced to return home because she couldn’t stop crying.
“All in all, we came out of it okay and things could have been a lot worse,” she said.
“I believe that I’m a strong, independent woman.
“Do I go into a really, really dark place and feel like I have to defend myself everywhere I go? Do I let this trauma beat me?”
The PSNI confirmed that enquiries into the incident were still ongoing.
Inspector James Ellson said: “At approximately 3am on Sunday, August 4, a 40-year-old female and a 39-year-old male were assaulted by a group of men who are believed to be in their 20s.
“We are appealing for anyone who may have witnessed the assault or who may have information which can assist with the investigation to contact detectives in Belfast on 101, quoting reference number 385 of 04/08/19.”
Alternatively, information can also be provided to the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
The charity is 100% anonymous and gives people the power to speak up and stop crime.