Just days before World Suicide Prevention Day, North Belfast has been plunged into despair again after another local man took his own life.

The family of Ardoyne man Paul McAuley, who died by suicide yesterday (Wednesday), told the North Belfast News they were “in shock” following the 42-year-old’s death.

The son of well-known local man Patsy ‘Coco’ McAuley and his wife Rosaleen, the father-of-seven and grandfather-of-one was popular throughout the local area for his kind nature and bright personality. A Facebook page set up in tribute has received hundreds of visits in the short period since his death.

His brother Eamon said he had last spoken to the Flax Mews man by telephone just the night before his death.

“We are only back from Salou and he was there last month, so I rang him up and we were talking about the holidays we had. 

“My last words to him were to tell him we had brought back a wee present for him.

“He sounded fine when I hung up and that was it until the next morning, when my sister came to my door to tell me Paul had died. We areal in shock as we never saw this coming.”

Paul appeared in the North Belfast News last November following a robbery at his parents’ Holmdene Gardens home. Eamon said family was at the forefront of Paul’s life.

“He moved to Manchester for a few years but came home several years ago and lived with four of his children in Flax Mews. They were the most important thing for him and they didn’t want for anything. I know everybody says nice things when they lose someone, especially so suddenly, but he really was a nice fella. 

“There was absolutely no badness to him and the amount of people we have had at the house since his death is a tribute to that.”

Paul’s death  is the latest tragedy to strike the McAuley family in recent times.

“My father is seriously ill after a number of strokes and confined to his bed, while my mother had a heart attack four months ago, so we are living through very difficult times.

“In North Belfast, suicide seems to be like a plague – it’s almost every week you hear of another one. But it’s the first time my family has been affected by something like this. It’s part of life and you have to carry your cross, but it’s difficult when it happens so suddenly.”

Paul’s remains will leave his parents’ Holmdene Gardens house at 10am for Requiem Mass at Holy Cross church on Saturday.

Meanwhile, Philip McTaggart from suicide awareness charity PIPS Programmes said rumours of further suicides need to stop. After the death of Paul McAuley, several reports of more deaths by suicide spread around North Belfast.

“Rumours don’t help the situation at all, all they serve to do is cause stress and anxiety for families, particularly when names are bandied about,” he said.

Angry exchanges in the public gallery during a court appearance of two men accused of trying to stab a man to death in North Belfast last week have been described by a judge as the worst he has witnessed in his courtroom.

Conor Bradley, 21, from Iveagh Street in the west of the city and Fergal Deeney, 19 from Rosemount Gardens, are both accused of trying to kill Paul Magennis at Cliftonville Avenue last Thursday (September 1).

In Belfast Magistrates Court on Monday Deputy District Judge Philip Mateer QC was hearing a bail application on behalf of Bradley when a family member of the injured party shouted, “You get away with anything in this place.”

A supporter of Bradley shouted back, “He didn’t f**king do it.”

The family of Paul Magennis then left the court escorted by a number of security staff.

After a number of outbursts earlier in the day during different matters, DDJ Mateer spoke out on the exchanges.

“I cannot recall in 16 years of sitting in this court a day when there has been so much disruption in the public gallery and if this continues I am going to take serious action.

“This is a court of law, not a playground,” he said.

Deeney, who is also charged with possession of an offensive weapon, did not seek bail and was remanded in custody.

Bradley, who is further charged with possession of offensive weapon, assaulting a police officer and assaulting a doctor, was eventually granted bail on condition that he stays out of North Belfast.

Two 19-year-old women are also charged with attempted murder and are due to appear in court later this month.

During Bradley’s hearing a PSNI officer opposed a bail application because he feared interference with witnesses.

“It wouldn’t take a rocket scientist to work out who the witnesses are in this case,” he said.

POLICE  are investigating “historical” allegations of child sex abuse at the former St Patrick’s Boys’ Home on the Glen Road, the Andersonstown News has learned.

In response to questions from us, the PSNI confirmed they’re investigating claims of abuse at “an educational establishment in West Belfast” – we know that the establishment they’re referring to is St Patrick’s.

An ex-staff member cites two De La Salle brothers, including a now-deceased brother who was at the centre of a previous sexual abuse investigation, as the men claimed to be behind the alleged abuse.

The Glen Road institution, which was run by the De La Salle Order, was known locally as St Pat’s Home and operated until the year 2000.  The Glenmona Resource Centre, which provides residential care to young people between the ages of 10 and 17, currently operates on the same site. It has no association with St Pat’s and is totally unconnected to the investigation.  

The former St Pat’s employee said he had suspicions of physical and sexual abuse at St Pat’s during the time he worked there which he shared with colleagues, but no action was ever taken.

“I worked at St Pat’s as a social worker for over two decades,” said the man, who wishes to remain anonymous.

“Last year I was approached by a former resident who told me he had been sexually abused. He went into fairly graphic detail about what had happened to him and who did it.

“He told me he had made staff aware at the time about what had happened but nothing ever came of it.  Brother X, who he claims did this, is still alive.

“A few months later in a bar downtown, a guy I knew asked me why we, as in the staff, never did anything about the abuse that took place.

“Working there so long, I had concerns and suspicions about some people because of what was said by the boys, but actually getting something concrete is a whole different ball game.

“I remember speaking to my line manager about my concerns regarding Brother X but, again, nothing ever came if it. 

“Brother Y, a well-known paedophile who has since died, also worked in St Pat’s for a number of years and there were incidents of alleged abuse involving him too.

“As well as the sexual abuse, there was physical abuse, with reports of brothers using horsewhips on the boys.  

“Some of the brothers were excellent but some were the most unChristian people I have ever come across.

“The fact that nothing was ever done is concerning, in my view we are sitting on a time bomb in terms of a massive cover-up because people must’ve known that this was taking place,” he added.

We put the allegations to the PSNI and a spokesman for the organisation said: “Police can confirm they are investigating a number of historical abuse allegations, which were alleged to have occurred in an educational establishment in the West Belfast area.”

A spokesperson for the De La Salle Order in Dublin yesterday refused to comment.

A Newtownabbey teenager whose father and grandfather died prematurely from heart problems is in hospital in England waiting for a heart transplant after being diagnosed with a serious illness just weeks ago.

Paddy Flynn from Longlands was rushed to the Freeman’s Hospital in Newcastle Upon Tyne in August and is waiting for a heart to become available for a transplant. 

Paddy, who is the son of well known republican Seamus Flynn who died of a heart attack during a republican commemoration parade in Greencastle in 2007, only discovered he was ill two months ago when he was unable to keep down food. The 19 year old was diagnosed with cardiomyopathy and was fitted with a pacemaker. However after his condition worsened two weeks ago he went to the City Hospital where he was told he needs a transplant. 

Paddy was airlifted to the English hospital where his mum Josie, girlfriend and aunt are keeping vigil by his bedside. He recently underwent surgery to have a pump inserted into his chest to help ease condition his until a heart becomes available.

Paddy’s dad Seamus collapsed and died of a heart attack during a republican commemoration parade in Greencastle in 2007. The 43 year old was a founder member of the Greencastle Martyrs Sinn Féin cumann and suddenly fell ill while carrying a commemorative wreath during the parade.

Paddy’s uncle Kieran Flynn said heart problems run in their family. His father dropped dead at 39 with a massive heart attack, his brother Seamus passed away and he himself suffers from heart problems along with another brother.

He added that his whole family and friends back in Belfast were praying for Paddy’s recovery.

“His mummy, aunt and girlfriend are with him and they are keeping him in good spirits,” said Kieran.

“It is a really worrying time for them but he is in good spirits and although he is recovering from the operation to put the pump in he is doing ok. He thinks he might get home in four to five weeks, whether that is with a new heart or with the pump we don’t know yet.”

Kieran also stressed the importance for new organ donors to help people in a similar position to Paddy’s saying the family were encouraging people to sign up to the organ donor register.

“I would ask anyone who isn’t already signed up to do it. We re just waiting now on news for Paddy, signing up to this could save someone’s life,” he said.

Oldpark siblings who were left heartbroken by the premature deaths of both their parents have been devastated by further tragedy after the youngest son in the family took his life this week.

Christopher ‘Topher’ McAllister, from Oldpark Avenue, was found dead last Monday morning (August 29), the third member of the immediate family to die since 2004. Twenty five-year-old Christopher had lost his father Eamon in 2009 to cancer and mother Christine five years earlier from natural causes. 

He is survived by his older brothers Eamon and Martin and younger sister Stephanie.

Speaking to the North Belfast News this week Eamon and Martin said their younger brother was the rock of the family after their parents died and that although he was quiet and at times withdrawn he never showed any signs that he may have considered taking his own life.

They said they believed that their younger brother made a “spur of the moment mistake” and would have never intended to hurt anyone. They also appealed to any other young men who are depressed or feeling suicidal to seek the help that is available.

The former St Patrick’s Bearnageeha pupil was living with his father and Stephanie in their Oldpark Avenue home when their father was diagnosed with aggressive throat cancer in 2009.

“He was an absolute star throughout all that time and he would have done anything for us,” said Eamon.

“Through that time and even before that time Christopher would have been the one who looked after him (their dad). He showed more character and heart and was more of a man than anyone. After our Dad died he became the man of the house and he took great pride in the house.

“The loss of our Mum and Dad just tore us apart. Chris would have stayed in his room a lot but he seemed happy but deep down it really took its toll and he bottled it up inside.”

They praised Christopher, a window cleaner by trade, for his generous spirit and caring nature and they noted his particular fondness for his aunt Pat Scullion who lived next door to him.

“He loved doing things for people, helping people out and even through the hard times he was there for us all. No-one had a bad word to say about him and he had a heart of gold,” said Martin.

They said there were never any signs that Christopher may have thought of taking his own life.

“We never thought in a million years that he would have come to this. He was very quiet and he was very deep but he was happy and as a family we thought he was doing brilliantly.”

His devastated brothers said they wished he had sought help and urged anyone else who is feeling suicidal to seek help.

“Talk to someone, talk to PIPS or New Life Counselling because there is good help out there. I think it was just a stupid, spur of the moment mistake and he didn’t want to hurt anyone,” said Martin.

Christopher will be laid to rest tomorrow (Friday) after a funeral mass in Sacred Heart Church at 10am.

The family of a West Belfast man on the Maghaberry no-wash protest say someone is going to be killed after the latest alleged beating in the jail.

Anthony Rooney (48) from Twinbrook suffered  extensive cuts and bruising to his face and body during the assault, say relatives. His family also claim that one prison officer in particular is at the centre of a serious of assaults on republican prisoners.

“He is renowned for being a vicious bully, he seems to have a lot of hatred for republicans and is very heavy-handed with them.  He needs to be stopped before he kills someone and I’m calling for him to be transferred from Roe House to another part of the prison,” said Anthony’s wife Sarah.

Ballymurphy man Harry Fitzsimmons recently suffered a suspected cracked rib and cuts and bruising after it was claimed he was beaten by the riot squad.

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