Police are treating an attack on a memorial stone in Co Armagh as a sectarian hate crime.

It is understood the plaque, which is dedicated to William Clarke who was abducted and shot by the IRA in April 1977, was targeted sometime between midnight and 8am on Saturday.

It sits on the Carricknagavanagh Road in Mullaghbawn.

Constable Jon McDonald said: “The total damage is estimated to be approximately £1,000."

Victims' campaigner William Frazer condemned the incident and said the family had only just put the plaque up after a previous one was attacked.