Rice shocked at Belfast van hijacking

Alliance Castlereagh Councillor Geraldine Rice has expressed her shocked at the hijacking of a van in the early hours of Thursday morning in Newtown Park in which the driver was hit several times. Five men approached the van and told the driver they were armed with guns, he was then forced out of the van and driven to West Belfast where he was later released.

Cllr Geraldine Rice said: “I am shocked by this vicious hijacking. To kidnap the driver, albeit for thirty minutes, just to steal a van shows how callous these men must be. They had absolutely no regard for the wellbeing of this man.

“This must have been a very traumatic experience for the driver of the van, and I hope that he is able to overcome his ordeal.

“I am very concerned that there have been several of these vehicle hijackings in the East Belfast area in the past six months. This latest hijacking is a very worrying development.

“Anybody who has any information about this attack should contact the police. I hope that they are able to catch these men before the carry out another hijacking.”

ENDS