Attack witness ‘ran to her death rather than safety’

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September 4, 2024

From BBC

Lola Sonubi and Gbenga Oluwasanya said their sister died after fleeing from a gang

Last week, care worker Anu Okusanya, 46, died in hospital after she fled the scene of an assault on another person close to her home in Newry, County Down.

Her family said she ran in fear having been attacked herself on two previous occasions in the same area.

They said the incident on 24 August led her to having an asthma attack and multiple heart attacks.

[…]

Anu’s brother, Gbenga Oluwasanya, told BBC News NI she had moved to Northern Ireland from Nigeria more than a year ago to work in healthcare and had finished a 12-hour shift when she witnessed the attack.

She ran to a neighbour’s house and “as she came in, she couldn’t say anything; she was gasping for breath”, he added.

[…]

In recent weeks there have been a number of attacks on homes and businesses belonging to ethnic minorities following anti-immigration demonstrations in August.

On Tuesday, the PSNI reported race hate crimes may have risen by a third compared to the previous 12 months.

Mr Oluwasanya explained his sister was frightened because she had been attacked in June when a boy threw liquid over her while she was walking on the street in “broad daylight”.

“So they were known to her, and that’s why she knew she had to run to protect herself,” he said.

In a earlier incident, a gang followed Anu to her home, banging on her door and they were “terrorising her”, he continued, adding that Anu had reported both attacks to police.

The original article describes reactions by the family and community.

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