BARRY MCGILL FROM BALLYMENA ACCUSED OF CHILD ABUSE IN SHOCKING CASE

A man named Barry McGill, residing in Ballymena, has been accused of committing severe acts of child cruelty involving two young boys, aged four and five. The High Court heard today that McGill allegedly inflicted physical harm on the four-year-old boy and subjected his five-year-old brother to violent treatment within their family home in Ballymena, County Antrim.

McGill, aged 31, was in a relationship with the boys' mother at the time of the incidents. To protect the identities of the children involved, his name is not being publicly disclosed. He faces charges of two counts of assault occasioning actual bodily harm and two additional counts of child cruelty. The allegations are deeply troubling and have prompted a thorough investigation by authorities.

The investigation was initiated last October after a witness reported noticing significant bruising on the younger boy’s ear. This prompted police to look into the matter further. The authorities then received information about an incident that allegedly took place on September 30, when the mother of the children heard her partner screaming at her son in their bathroom. Concerned, she went to check and found her son with his trousers down, displaying red marks on his bottom and legs, and claiming he had been smacked.

Hospital examinations confirmed that the young boy had sustained bruising to his head and various parts of his body, consistent with blunt force trauma. Prosecutors stated that these injuries were caused by physical abuse, including being struck multiple times. During police interviews, the four-year-old disclosed that McGill had hurt him when he did