'We're terrified to live at home after arson attack'

A mother has said her family is terrified to live in their home following an arson attack.

Courtney McFadden said those responsible for setting fire to her car - just outside her home in Shantallow, Londonderry - could have seriously injured or even killed someone.

Ms McFadden said she only discovered her car was on fire after checking on her baby in the early hours of Friday.

She said she now feared for the safety of her one-year-old daughter and her mother, who has dementia and lives with her.

"We had gone to bed that night as usual," Ms McFadden told BBC Radio Foyle's North West Today programme.

"I then saw that the baby monitor was flashing, saying the room was too warm, so I got up to go and open her window."

It was then Ms McFadden said she heard loud banging at their front door.

"I went and checked and saw on the video doorbell that my car was up in flames - the whole vehicle was just engulfed," she said.

A neighbour called the fire service while Ms McFadden contacted the police.

She said emergency crews were on the scene immediately and described them as "phenomenal" for getting the fire under control so quickly.

Police said the car was completely destroyed and confirmed they were treating the incident as arson. Enquiries are ongoing.

They are urging anyone who was in Drumleck Drive area at the time and witnessed anything suspicious - or who may have relevant information, CCTV, dashcam, or other video footage - to come forward.

"The car was parked just outside the house, very near to where my daughter sleeps," Ms McFadden said.

The young mother said she dreaded to think what could have happened had they not spotted the fire when they did.

"I was terrified for my mummy and for Aoibhí," she said. "They're both obviously very vulnerable."

Ms McFadden said her mother suffered a stroke in October 2022 and lives with her full-time.

She said the whole family had been badly shaken by the ordeal.

"You have left a family terrified to live in their own home," she said. "The flames engulfed the car - it actually blew up right in front of us.

"The fumes, the burning, the smell—it was horrendous. I can't even describe it."

She said the attack posed a risk to her own family and others living nearby.

"This could have caused serious harm—or even killed someone," she added.

Ms McFadden thanked her neighbours for their support and appealed for anyone with information to contact the police.

"I have lived here all my life, I have grown up here, we live in a really tight-knit community, and we all look out for each other," she said.