Man Hurt In Cliff Fall

A man has been airlifted to hospital after falling 20 feet down a cliff on the north Antrim coast. It is understood the man was out walking when he fell. He suffered injuries to his face, jaw and ribs after landing on rocks at Fair Head in Ballycastle, shortly before 5pm on Saturday. Lifeboat and coastguard crews responded and gave the casualty first aid at the scene. A helicopter was called from Sligo to transport him to the Causeway Hospital in Coleraine. It is reported that the man is in a stable condition.

Bomb Discovered In Derry

A bomb found in Londonderry on Sunday night was left near the family home of a serving police officer. A number of homes were evacuated just after midnight as army bomb experts examined a suspicious package at Drumleck Drive in Shantallow. The PSNI officer does not live in the house. The bomb has since been defused. Meanwhile a security alert in North Belfast continues. It is believed a car was abandoned in a lane way close to Ligoniel Primary School at the weekend. A number of homes in the area have been evacuated. Police are investigating the incident.

Truancy Could Lead To Benefit Cuts

In the UK a government advisory on school behaviour has said parents of children who are regularly play truant should have their child benefit cut. Behaviour tsar Charlie Taylor has said the cut in child-benefit should be used to directly pay truancy fines in a crackdown on absenteeism. The current system of penalty notices is ineffective, he says, as non-payment rarely leads to prosecution. Head teachers, council officers and the police, can issue notices and these can lead to fines of £50 - doubling to £100 if parents fail to pay within 28 days. At this point the issuer has to prosecute or withdraw the penalty notice. "Some parents simply allow their children to miss lessons and then refuse to pay the fine," Taylor has said. "It means the penalty has no effect, and children continue to lose vital days of education they can never recover."

Man Posing As BT Employee Robs Pensioner

A pensioner has been the victim of a distraction burglary at her home in Garvagh at the weekend. A man came to the 81-year-old's door in the Co Londonderry town at around 2pm on Friday, claiming to be from BT and saying underground cables needed to be passed through her home. She took him inside and they spoke for around 10 minutes. A short time after the man left, the pensioner discovered her purse was missing as well as a sum of money from her bedroom. Police have asked anyone who may have witnessed suspicious activity around the time of the incident to get in touch. They have also warned people to be wary if they are approached in a similar way.

(LB)