NI paper review: ATM gangs and paralysed cyclist's anger

The aftermath of yet another cash machine theft is pictured on several newspaper front pages on Wednesday.

The difference in the latest incident - the 15th ATM to be stolen in Northern Ireland this year - was that this theft was foiled and arrests made.

"Net closes on hole in the wall gang" is the Daily Mirror's headline.

The paper says that vigilant members of the public helped police "make their first major breakthrough" in the spate of cash machine thefts.

It says police were told a digger was being used to rip the cash machine from the wall of a shop at Nutt's Corner in County Antrim at about 03:30 BST on Tuesday.

Two men were arrested.

The News Letter also leads with the story, but says police are warning that the threat of further thefts is "very real".

It says the PSNI are patrolling areas where they believe cash machines are most vulnerable.

"This does not make us complacent as we recognise there are a number of gang carrying out these attacks on ATMs," Det Supt Rachel Shields says.

"We will continue to do all we can to catch those responsible."

Meanwhile, the front page headline on the Belfast Telegraph reads: "One year ban for motorist who mowed me down is just a joke".

County Down man Mark Millar, 38, was cycling outside Ballymena when he was struck by a car driven by 47-year-old Christian pastor Elaine Adu.

He was left paralysed and in constant pain.

Adu was ordered to complete 80 hours of community service and banned from driving for a year after admitting causing grievous bodily harm by driving without due care.

Mr Millar says he hopes it will raise awareness about the safety of cyclists, adding "there's a lot of motorists out there need to wise up and keep their eyes on the road".

He said the one-year driving ban was "a joke" and that "one of us [cyclists] could have been killed that day".

The Irish News leads with a leaked letter from the Department of Health saying that a public inquiry into Muckamore Abbey Hospital is not in the public interest.

The paper says that detectives are investigating 300 reports of ill treatment and "reviewing hundreds of thousands of hours of CCTV footage".

It says correspondence from the department, after a request for a judge-led inquiry into the scandal at the County Antrim hospital, states that "it is not necessary at this time".

The father of a patient at the hospital tells the paper the department's response is "severely disappointing".

"How big a scandal do you need before the department decide to order a public inquiry? Just how bad does it have to get?" County Down man Glynn Brown asks.

Former soldier Simon Weston, who was suffered severe burns when injured during the Falklands War, tells the Belfast Telegraph the prosecution of some soldiers who served in Northern Ireland is a "betrayal of trust".

Mr Weston was speaking at the opening of a new support facility for former RUC and military veterans in Fermanagh on Tuesday.

He said the government should be backing ex-soldiers "to the hilt".

"These ex-soldiers did their jobs at the behest of the British government who shouldn't be turning around like cowards and leaving them on their own. That is wrong on every count," he says.

The News Letter says the family of murdered journalist Lyra McKee has issued a statement thanking people all over the world for their support and love through "these dark days".

Ms McKee was shot dead by dissident republicans in Londonderry last month.

"The outpouring of love, respect and admiration for our dear Lyra has been of great comfort to us in these dark days," the family statement says.

"To know that our wee Lyra was so well-loved across the globe and by people of all walks of life, is a true testament to her personal philosophy and her vision for the world."

The Daily Mirror says that health chiefs have apologised to patients over long waits at Northern Ireland's emergency departments.

It says that each hospital providing A&E care failed to meet a four-hour target in the first three months of the this year.

Finally, going on separate honeymoons may not seem like the best start to a marriage.

However, it seems to be working for a pair of Irish "solomooners" as The Irish News reports that Irene O'Brien from Dublin and Mel Maclaine from Portadown are expecting their first child.

After they married in 2016, Irene went to Toronto to visit a friend, while Mel travelled to France with friends to watch Northern Ireland in the European Championships.

"We each came back to Dublin, full of stories, buzzing of our trips an truly delighted to see each other again to share the memories," Irene said.

"It really was the perfect imperfect honeymoon."