A LOCAL care assistant has spoken out after her car was damaged whilst she was at work, saying the discovery was a “huge kick in the gut” after having worked a 70-hour week.

Niamh Donaghy had just finished working a night shift on Thursday, October 29, when she discovered that the back window of her car had been smashed “for no apparent reason”.

She said: “I have to say, being a care assistant and being an essential worker in this mentally-draining, sad and overwhelming time is hard enough without coming out after a long night shift – your sixth shift in a row, adding up to 70 hours – to discover someone has smashed your back window for no apparent reason is definitely a huge kick in the gut.”

She reported the incident to the PSNI. Appealing for information, she said: “If anyone saw anything suspicious between the hours of 9pm and 8am on Thursday, October 29 specifically at the Lisnaskea to Derrylin Road,can they please contact the PSNI at 101.”

Although the damage is covered by her insurance, Niamh wasn’t able to get her car fixed immediately.

However, since the incident, Niamh has been “overwhelmed” by the kindness and generosity shown to her by people in and around her local community.

“I went into the local shop and one of the girls I know had bought me a box of chocolates to cheer me up,” she said.

Niamh noted how a GoFundMe page was also set up to raise money to help her pay the excess on her insurance. “It just shows that not everybody out there is bad. I’ve had amazing support from the local community.”