Young children witness Belfast ‘kneecapping’

Four young children witnessed a man being shot three times in a “brutal” paramilitary-style attack in west Belfast, police said.

The children were in a house in the Cavendish Street area on Saturday evening when three men, dressed in dark clothing, forced their way in.

The gang hit a 28-year-old man over the head before shooting him in both knees and his right ankle with a handgun. A woman at the property was also assaulted.

A police spokesman condemned the attack and said: “The residents including young children have been left terrified by these events.”