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Latest News 5th July 2008 |
British collusion in Donegal killing confirmed There was British collusion in the murder of a Donegal teenager in 1973, according to the latest probe into the killing of Henry Cunningham carried out by the PSNI’s Historical Enquires Team (HET). The 16-year-old, from Carndonagh, was shot dead as he travelled back to Donegal from a Belfast building site on 9 August 1973. The HET confirmed that one of the guns used in the killing was ‘stolen’ from a British Territorial Army base in Lurgan in 1972. The report also cited evidence of collusion in the ‘theft’ of the weapon. The HET reviews existing evidence rather than carries out further investigation. An earlier British Army investigation admitted that there was “strong evidence” of collusion between its own Ulster Defence Regiment and loyalist paramilitaries in relation to ‘missing’ weapons from the UDR barracks. The UDR Sterling submachine gun was subsequently used in the sectarian murder of two Catholic workmen in 1974. This weapon was retrieved by the RUC later that year but, despite being at the centre of a number of sectarian killings, it was destroyed by RUC officers in 1976. The HET also admitted that two men were arrested in connection with the Cunningham murder in May 1978 but were released without charge. Both were members of the UVF and one was a senior member of the UVF. The report admits: “There were high level concerns regarding RUC elements too close to the UVF and too ready to hand over information.” The HET also cites “worries that loyalist extremists had heavily infiltrated the UDR”. Declassified documents reveal that loyalist paramilitaries were routinely armed with weaponry emanating from the UDR. The report describes the arming of loyalists by the UDR as “a common theme across many HET reviews”. The teenager was travelling in a van when they were attacked from a bridge on the M2 at Dunsily, between Templepatrick and Antrim. Henry was in the front passenger seat of the vehicle containing another five workmen, Protestant and Catholic. Three of the men were brothers of Henry and another was a brother-in-law. The Cunningham family were Protestant but they believe they were targeted by the UVF because of the Southern Irish number plates on their Bedford van. The men had been travelling along the same route during the two months they had been working in Glengormley, on the outskirts of north Belfast. Curiously, the inquest into the teenager’s death was carried out less than a month after the killing. An inquest can only be held after investigations are complete and that process usually takes months, sometimes years. The van driver told the inquest that he had spotted three men acting suspiciously on the bridge and then heard gunfire. The windscreen had shattered and a punctured tyre forced the vehicle to stop. Around 14 shots were fired into the vehicle, one at least hitting Henry in the chest. Cartridges from the scene indicated that a submachine gun had been fired by one of the gunmen while the other two used pistols. Denied any further information about the murder of their brother, Robert and Herbert Cunningham sought assistance from the Pat Finucane Centre in 1999. The case was subsequently taken up by the HET. Speaking after receiving the report, brothers Robert and Herbert Cunningham expressed anger at the fact that the evidence presented by the HET had been known but never made available to the victim’s family. They also criticise the Irish Government. “There is no evidence whatsoever that our government in Dublin made any representation to the Northern authorities in relation to the murder of Henry,” said Robert. “Neither the gardaí nor the Department of the Taoiseach, Justice or Foreign Affairs have been able to produce a single document pertaining to the murder of my brother, an Irish citizen.”
Challenge to British Government's Influence on Inquiries British government influence over independent public inquiries into security force collusion in the six counties is to be challenged at the UN. The 2005 Inquiries Act allows a British government minister to rule when a probe sits in public or private because of 'national security' concerns. With the family of murdered Belfast solicitor Pat Finucane opposed to an investigation under the Act, campaigners meet the UN in Switzerland today. Committee for the Administration of Justice (CAJ) legal adviser Abed Natur said: “Cumulatively the provision of the Inquiries Act I think would minimise to a certain extent the independence of the inquiry. “There has to be structural and hierarchical independence in theory and practice. “The money has to come from government but they have to put in place provisions to ensure the independence of the inquiry.” Britain's Northern Secretary Shaun Woodward also has the right to suspend a public inquiry or delay publication of its reports. Pat Finucane was shot dead at his north Belfast home in 1989 by the UDA in collusion with British security forces. Retired Canadian judge Peter Cory investigated the collusion and ordered the inquiry. He has since said the new legislation would make a meaningful investigation impossible. The NIO has claimed nothing would be withheld in the Finucane case. However, because of 'national security' it added that a large proportion of evidence would have to be considered in private. Loyalist Ken Barrett was sentenced to life for Mr Finucane’s murder, after admitting his part in the killing. Alleged PSNI non co-operation in the inquiry into the murder of LVF leader Billy Wright by the INLA in Long Kesh prison in December 1997 will also be covered in the briefing to the UN Committee on Civil and Political Rights in Geneva. Other issues being raised include:
Progress on the Bill of Rights and PSNI Chief Constable Hugh Orde’s advocacy of TASERs for some public order situations is also to be brought up.
Police ‘optimistic’ of peaceful Drumcree Police last night expressed cautious optimism that this weekend’s Drumcree parade would pass off without incident. For the 10th year in a row, Orangemen from Portadown Lol 1 are expected to march to Drumcree bridge on Sunday and hand police a protest letter criticising a ban on marching along Garvaghy Road. As in recent years, there is expected to be a low-key police presence. “Police are optimistic for another quiet outcome at Drumcree,” a PSNI spokeswoman said. “This has been the situation for the past number of years and we have responded with significantly reduced policing operations. “There is a Parades Commission determination. It is our job to police that determination. “People have a right to parade and a right to protest, as long as this is done peacefully and within the law. “We are sure that everyone involved will respect that.” Last month it was revealed that Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams held private talks with Portadown Orangemen. It comes amid rising tensions in nearby Lurgan, with Sinn Fein blaming loyalists for a series of sectarian attacks over the last week. Meanwhile, Sinn Fein last night warned that loyalist attempts to block a republican commemoration in Pomeroy, Co Tyrone could threaten future loyal order parades in the village. Up to 100 republicans and four bands are expected to take part in a parade to mark the 20th anniversary of the death of IRA man Seamus Woods. The 23-year-old was killed by his own mortar bomb during an attack on Pomeroy RUC station in July 1988. Earlier this week the Parades Commission restricted the march from passing a Protestant church. South Armagh victims’ campaigner Willie Frazer is to lead a loyalist counter-protest tonight. “I have sat with widows of men murdered by the IRA who say they are sick to the stomach at the thought of a march in honour of a terrorist,” he said. However, warning that loyalist attempts to block the parade could threaten an agreement which allows the loyal orders to march through the town every year, Sinn Fein assembly member Francie Molloy said: “Republicans will not take lectures from Willie Frazer on how we go about commemorating our patriot dead.” “Every time he has put his rejectionist and flawed views to the electorate he has been routed and many within the broad nationalist and republican community rightly wonder why such an individual gets the air time he does from certain sections of the media,” he said.
Shoukris almost bled community funding dry Statutory and community agencies were on the verge of withdrawing from hard-hit areas of loyalist north Belfast due to serious “misappropriation of funds” by the Shoukri brothers, a confidential report has revealed. The Institute for Conflict Research was commissioned to write the report on North Belfast Prisoners Aid (NBPA), a group originally set up to help former UDA inmates. It found that in the past 18 months steps had been taken to transform the image of the organisation. But situated in the loyalist enclave of Tiger’s Bay, its offices were once effectively a base for the Shoukri brothers’ money-making exploits. The office was next door to a bookmakers and it was estimated that chronic gambler Andre Shoukri lost upwards of £1 million during his reign as ‘brigadier’ of the north Belfast UDA. Although the independent report was unable to estimate how much funding may have been lost to loyalist communities as a result of the image crisis, it did pinpoint problems. It found that nationalist communities were reluctant to work with north Belfast loyalists to ease tensions at interfaces due to perceptions of criminality around the Shoukri leadership. “The highly negative publicity associated with individuals such as Andre and Ihab Shoukri along with the various allegations of the misappropriation of funding had a detrimental impact,” it read. It continued: “Nationalist/republican groups were apprehensive to participate in engagement on any sort of issues or develop relationships and partnerships. “Statutory organisations were also reluctant to commit resources into areas that were synonymous with paramilitary attacks, corruption and racketeering. “Paramilitary affiliations and support for particular individuals divided communities, which made it difficult for them to lobby for funding.” The report’s participants included police and community sector representatives. It found that steps had since been taken to make the organisation more accountable to the loyalist community, moving away from exclusively looking after ex-prisoners. It has also been rebranded the North Belfast Community Development Trust Group. Ihab and Andre Shoukri are now in Maghaberry Prison, serving sentences for UDA membership and extortion respectively. Although the report said the office’s role must be more clearly defined, it said many interviewees from both sides of the community now felt more confident working with staff in a post-Shoukri era. “NBPA have been prominent in restructuring relationships within loyalist communities in north Belfast that had previously been fractured as a result of individuals and their very negative publicised exploits,’’ it read. “As a result nationalist and republican communities now feel more confident in building new working relationships with unionist and loyalist communities in the north of the city.”
Ex-soldiers lose anonymity bid Twelve ex-soldiers have lost their High Court attempt to stop the Rosemary Nelson Inquiry revealing their names. The ex-RIR soldiers said they feared being targeted if named, but Mr Justice Weatherup held the public interest in the transparency outweighed any risks. Their application for judicial review of a decision by the tribunal examining collusion allegations was dismissed. They will not be called to give oral evidence but the book of evidence and the inquiry website will name them. Mrs Nelson, 40, died after a booby-trap bomb left by loyalists exploded under her car in March 1999. Retired judge Sir Michael Morland is chairing a three-strong panel examining alleged security force collusion. Inquiry's remit Under its remit, the inquiry must determine whether the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC), Northern Ireland Office (NIO), Army or other state agency facilitated the murder, or blocked attempts to investigate it. The collusion allegations arose because of Mrs Nelson's role as the legal representative in a number of high profile cases, including that of the nationalist Garvaghy Road Residents' Coalition in Portadown. The soldiers' lawyer had claimed that since leaving the Army they had continued to avoid being identified as former RIR soldiers. The lawyer said they feared they would be targeted by dissident republican elements, as membership of the regiment was perceived as demonstrating some sort of affinity with loyalism.
Jury finds British army responsible for rioter's death The first legacy inquest dealing with controversial deaths from the troubles in Northern Ireland has ended in Derry with the jury unanimously finding that the British army was ultimately responsible for the death of a rioter in the city almost twelve years ago. Dermot McShane, (35), a machine operator from Hollymount Park in the Waterside area of the city, was crushed to death when a British army Saxon vehicle struck a wooden hoarding he was sheltering behind during Drumcree related rioting on July 13, 1996. He was a former member of the I.N.L.A. During the disturbances, which were centred in the Little James' Street area of Derry, the police fired 946 baton rounds and 1,200 petrol bombs were thrown by rioters. Police, military and civilian witness told the jury that the rioting was the worse ever experienced in Derry throughout the troubles. In their findings, the eight jurors said that there was confusion and a breakdown of communication between army and R.U.C. personnel resulting in a situation where procedures were not followed. "The R.U.C. gave direct orders to military personnel, no top cover was used during the driving of the Saxon. The Saxon did not give a warning to the crowd and the barrier was punched through rather than pushed through. Another contributory cause was Mr. McShane's presence on the rioters' front line", the jury forewoman told Coroner Brian Sherrard. The forewoman added that there was also confusion among R.U.C. officers due to limited planning, team briefings and personnel numbers. "The military was ultimately in charge of the Saxon involved in the incident. It should not have advanced until the direct order was received from the military commanding officer. The military Saxon driving procedures were not adhered to as top cover was not in place during the advance. The result of these factors was that the hoarding was inappropriately removed. "Mr. McShane, whilst under the influence of alcohol, was involved in the rioting. He may not have been involved in throwing petrol bombs but he was providing cover for others advancing to police lines. Others who had a role in Mr. McShane's death were the other rioters who contributed to the intensity of the night and in particular those who abandoned Mr. McShane in a drunken state behind the hoarding while the Saxon advanced", she added. The jury also found that the cause of Mr. McShane's death was multiple injuries. After the jury's unanimous findings, a brother-in-law of Mr. McShane, Peter Gillen, said the family were relieved that the hearings had ended and they were happy with the findings. Offering his condolences to the McShane family, the Coroner said the victim had lost his life in particularly terrible circumstances. "It clearly still has an enormous impact on his family members who attended every day of the Inquest. We all, I am sure, hope that such occurrences are now consigned to history in our country", he said.
Portadown Orangemen: we haven’t gone away, you know On the eve of 'Drumcree 14', Portadown's District Orange Master has revealed why he and his fellow officers agreed to meet Sinn Fein's Gerry Adams to discuss the controversial parades issue. "It wasn't our idea to meet Gerry Adams," said Darryl Hewitt. "A Portadown businessman told us he could arrange the meeting and suggested it might be a good idea to explain the Orange ethos to the Sinn Fein leader." Orangemen will be denied from marching down the nationalist Garvaghy Road in Portadown this Sunday for the 11th successive year. The Garvaghy Road dispute has been the site of some of the most violent scenes in Northern Ireland as communities clash over the contentious march. Speaking about the meeting with Gerry Adams Mr Hewitt said: "The officers discussed the issue and, having been given carte blanche some time ago by the rank-and-file members to talk to whoever we felt would benefit the Orange cause, we decided to go ahead." The businessman — undertaker Ian Milne — chaired the meeting with Adams, which included Portadown officers David Jones and Nigel Dawson. Mr Hewitt said: "Gerry Adams had an aide with him, who did not contribute — it was a straight-talking question and answers session and he now understands more about the Orange Order. "We told him the Order was community and family orientated — much the same as the GAA on the nationalist side — and we gave him an insight on how much the parading issue means to us. "We underlined that the Drumcree parade was to and from a Christian service which commemorates the fallen of the Somme." The District Master went on: "We also impressed on him our determination for face-to-face talks with the Garvaghy Road Residents Coalition and our disappointment that the residents were turning their backs on that. "To be fair to Gerry Adams, he would favour talks, but it's not in his gift. Sinn Fein, in my view, put him in as a foot soldier to stop the Drumcree parade, but the foot soldier is now the general and is out of their control. "We also asked Gerry Adams to explain his infamous Meath speech when he said that the ending of the Drumcree parade took four years in the planning. "He claimed that he was misquoted, but I take that with a pinch of salt. "For his part, he commented on the Ian Paisley-David Trimble so-called victory jig after the parade was forced through in the late 1990s, and we replied that both men had since been First Minister and had embraced power sharing — that things had moved on, and so should the Drumcree issue. I think he took the point. "It was a frank, courteous meeting — it wasn't a case of drinks round the tables, lads — and I hope he knows more about the Orange Order as a result. "We left him in no doubt we were determined to return to Portadown via the Garvaghy Road. To coin his own phrase, we haven't gone away, you know."
New prisoners group Letters A new group called Ceartais has been formed to obtain justice for former Long Kesh prisoners and their families. The organisation emerged from the need to address the exposure of prisoners to CR Gas in Long Kesh on October 16 1974. There is growing discernment among the republican ex-prisoner community that the British covered up what occurred on that date. Scores of former prisoners have since battled cancers and dozens have died. Ceartais will compile a full audit of prisoners in Long Kesh in October 1974 and will hold meetings across the country. For further information, Ceartais can be contacted at ceartais@hotmail.com and joe@coiste.com . Mairtin Og Meehan
Public petition will urge dissidents to cease activities A public petition urging an end to all dissident republican activity in Derry is to be launched in the city next week, the 'Journal' can reveal. It's also emerged that moves are in the offing to engage the leaderships of various dissident groups in talks aimed at convincing them to end their armed campaigns. The move is in direct response to the recent murder of Emmett Sheils, the 22 year-old pizza delivery man gunned down in the Creggan Estate last week. Among those signing up to the petition is Bogside/Brandywell community worker Tony Doherty who says the appeal has already received the support of a number of local republicans, including Seamus Heaney, whose brother, Denis, an IRA volunteer, was shot dead by the SAS in 1978, and Michael English, who lost two sons, both IRA members, during the Troubles. The three men are just part of a larger group drawn from across the city. Mr. Doherty - whose father Patrick was among those murdered on Bloody Sunday - told the 'Journal' last night: "It is clear from events surrounding the murder of Emmett Sheils last week that the city has been plunged to a very low point. It is also clear to many in Derry that there is a need for people to work together to respond creatively to ensure that these tragic and futile events are never repeated." Mr Doherty says it's crucial that young people across Derry don't get caught up in what he branded a "phoney" war. "We cannot, as a society, stand idly by and allow young people to be manipulated, to get injured, killed or to end up in prison with families torn apart. The people of this city have come through several decades of terrible loss, hurt and hardship and, because of this, we must not allow our young people to engage in a phoney 'war of liberation' which has no support, focus, structure or direction and, as a result, will only cause pointless hardship and a further descent into criminality and gang warfare." The Bogside community worker says the murder of Emmett Sheils has focused people's minds on finding a way to bring the campaigns of armed groups to an end. Time for cool heads "This is a time for cool heads and careful thinking," he added. "We are genuinely at a fork in the road. Several people in the city, some of whom have suffered personal loss during the conflict, are actively considering how the legacy of the Emmett Sheils murder can turn everyone on to the road of dialogue, respect, and social justice regardless of ideology or political perspective," he said.
New attitude to police ‘hindering dissidents’ The transformed attitude to the police within republican neighbourhoods is fatally undermining dissident attempts to launch a sustained campaign of terror in Northern Ireland, a senior police chief claimed yesterday. PSNI assistant chief constable Peter Sheridan said there was a huge “wind of change“ blowing through areas where the police were once met with open hostility and that would ultimately ensure the defeat of disaffected republicans. Republican splinter groups have been behind five murder bids on police officers since Sinn Fein signed up to support the service last year. They have also been blamed for four civilian killings, the most recent the fatal shooting of 22-year-old Emmett Shiels in the Creggan area of Derry last week. “I’ve never been more sure that they can be beaten,” Mr Sheridan told members of the Northern Ireland Policing Board at their monthly meeting in Belfast. “There is little or no community support (for the dissidents), you just have to look at the response in the community round the Emmett Shiels murder to see that. “There is a wind of change, a huge wind of change out there and I have seen that in a number of investigations. “There is a completely different response to police on the ground.” Mr Sheridan also said he was sceptical of reports that the Real IRA and Continuity IRA were planning on joining forces to launch a ‘summer blitz’. “I have no doubt that they aspire to be one organisation,” he said. “But there are too many agendas among them, there are too many criminals among them to be able to agree with anything in that regard and I don’t see that happening and we will continue to make ever effort we can to make sure it doesn’t happen.” Chief Constable Sir Hugh Orde added to his assistant’s remarks on the dissident threat by calling for politicians, Church leaders and community chiefs to send out a loud message that they had no support. “It’s a collective effort in making these people unwanted and ostracised in their communities,“ he said. “And I do think the role of politicians and the churches and the community groups are equally important in that voice. “There was very clear evidence in the last murder [Emmett Shiels] that the disgust around what was going on was very powerful. “I think a collective effort will marginalise these people even more and eventually they will realise it's not going to work.”
MLA vows to oppose Irish signs at the Royal Plans to develop an Irish-speaking quarter in west Belfast must not involve branding of hospitals and other public facilities, an MLA said yesterday. DUP member Nelson McCausland expressed concern that the proposed regeneration of the Gaeltacht area incorporated the Royal Victoria Hospital and the nearby educational campuses at St Mary’s College and Belfast Metropolitan College. He was commenting as representatives from Irish language group Forbairt Feirste briefed members of the Culture, Arts and Leisure Committee on the plan. “I have no difficulty at all with the development of the Gaeltacht quarter,” he said. “I would support it as I would support the development of a cultural quarter on the Shankill Road. “What I do have a problem with if [the Irish language] is incorporated in services and institutions which are there to service people who don’t identify with that culture and some of them would be opposed to the development of that culture. “We have to make sure that major institutions and hospitals aren’t branded with the Irish language.” Sean Misteil, chair of Forbairt Feirste, said the plan was to link the quarter with the nearby hospital and universities to encourage users of those facilities to visit the area. However, he said a decision as to whether Irish signs would be erected in the buildings would be made by their owners and not his group. Forbairt Feirste director Jake MacSiacais said signs were not at the top of his agenda. He said he wanted to promote Irish in a non-contentious way and hoped the Gaeltacht quarter would attract tourists and make everyone living in the city proud.
SDLP in 'exploratory'talks with Dáil parties Representatives of the Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) held separate meetings at Leinster House yesterday with Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and the Labour Party to discuss the future development of politics on the island as a whole. The SDLP delegation consisted of members of the all-Ireland working party led by chairman Eamon Mullan. Fianna Fáil was represented by Minister for Justice and chairman of the party’s Northern Strategy Committee, Dermot Ahern; Fine Gael by party leader Enda Kenny and Fergus O’Dowd; Labour by party leader Eamon Gilmore and Ruairí Quinn. The all-Ireland working group was set up at the SDLP annual conference last December. Two months previously, then-taoiseach Bertie Ahern announced details of a Fianna Fail consultation process on organising politically within Northern Ireland. Mr Mullan yesterday described the meetings as “exploratory”. He added that the SDLP had “invaluable links” with all major parties on the southern side of the Border. Speaking personally, he said Fianna Fáil organising politically in the North would have ramifications for all parties.
Man freed in Loughinisland murder inquiry Police in Northern Ireland have freed a man held for questioning over the loyalist murders of six men in a Co Down bar fourteen years ago. The 45-year-old man was arrested in Maidstone, Kent, in connection with the 1994 Ulster Volunteer Force attack in a bar in Loughinisland, where patrons were watching Ireland play Italy in the World Cup. Police also questioned him about the attempted murder of five other people in the bar. The suspect was held at Antrim Serious Crimes Suite before being freed last night without charge. The victims were Adrian Rogan, 39-year-old Eamon Byrne, who was married with four children, his brother-in-law Patsy O'Hare, who was 35 and a single man, 59-year-old Dan McCreanor, a single farmer, his uncle Barney Green, an 87-year-old retired pig farmer who was married, and 54-year-old Malcolm Jenkinson, a building contractor who was married with three children. According to RUC reports at the time of the killing, the gunmen locked their victims into the bar, walking among them and shot each between two and five times before running out of bullets. In 2006, the families, through their solicitors, formally complained to Northern Ireland Police Ombudsman Nuala O'Loan about serious flaws in the police investigation into the murders. They alleged "police mismanagement" of items of evidence seized at the time that, they argued, could be tested to find clues that could identify the killers. In particular they questioned why the getaway car used in the murder was "wilfully destroyed by police".
Emergency Legislation in Breach of Commitments Speaking at a meeting of the Oireachtas Good Friday Agreement Committee in Leinster House this morning, Sinn Féin Human Rights Spokesperson Aengus Ó Snodaigh TD said the continued use of emergency legislation by the Irish government is in breach of its commitments under the Good Friday Agreement. Deputy Ó Snodaigh also called on the Irish Human Rights Commission, who were in attendance, to produce, in conjunction with their counterparts in the North, a list of areas were human rights equivalence has not been established as required under the Good Friday Agreement. Speaking afterwards Deputy Ó Snodaigh said: “Under the terms of the Good Friday Agreement the use of emergency powers was to be scaled down and human rights legislation in the south was to be at least equivalent to those in the north. “The Irish government is in breach of these commitments as it continues the use of the Offences Against the State Act and the provision within that to use the non-jury special criminal court. In fact some of the draconian measures contained in the act have just recently been renewed by the Oireachtas with very little debate or scrutiny. “I raised this with the Human Rights Commission today at the Good Friday Agreement Committee and I am happy that they have expressed concerns in this regard as well. “I also called on the Human Rights Commission, in conjunction with its counterpart in the north, to produce a list of areas where human rights equivalence has not been established north and south. Again the commission gave a positive response and said it would be a useful exercise.” Bill of Rights The Good Friday Agreement Committee meeting was also attended by Sinn Féin MPs Pat Doherty and Michelle Gildernew. Mr Doherty said it is very important that British plans to publish a British Bill of Rights do not diminish or in any way interfere with the Bill of Rights which the Irish and British governments committed to producing in both the Good Friday Agreement and the St. Andrews Agreement. He also said it is very important that any Bill of Rights or Charter of Rights include social, economic and cultural rights. The Sinn Féin MP for Tyrone said: “In the Good Friday Agreement and again at St. Andrews both the British and Irish governments committed to a Bill of Rights process. “However, in a separate development the British government this month intends to put out to consultation a British Bill of Rights consultation paper. “It is very important that the British government makes very clear that this will not diminish or in any way interfere with the Bill of Rights committed to in both the Good Friday Agreement and the St. Andrews Agreement. “It is also absolutely crucial that social, economic and cultural rights are essential element in any Bill of Rights or Charter of Rights. These are needed to address the problems and difficulties arising as consequence of the special circumstances that have arisen from the conflict on the island of Ireland.”
Adair: I’m back to set up business Exiled UDA leader Johnny Adair last night claimed to be in the final stages of returning to Northern Ireland, amid reports that he sneaked back into the north in recent days. The notorious loyalist, who has been forced to live in Britain since being ousted from his Shankill stronghold in 2005, revealed he is to buy a property in the north. Yesterday several callers to The Irish News claimed to have spotted the 47-year-old in Antrim with his son Jonathan. When contacted last night, Adair said: “I can confirm that I’m back in Northern Ireland at the moment and am in the final stages of buying a property here. “When that is completed I intend to return to the province to set up my own security company.” Adair claimed he was now a “legitimate businessman”, saying: “I was once jailed for directing terrorism but now I’m directing a successful security company and making loads of money. “I have 17 people working for me in places like Manchester, Warrington and Scotland. “I’m a legitimate businessman with an accountant and everything.” Police refused to say if they were monitoring Adair’s movements.
Sinn Fein councillor quits over DPP row A Sinn Fein councillor, suspended from the party for “contravening media protocols” because she criticised District Policing Partnerships, has resigned. Bernice Swift got involved with Sinn Fein as an 11-year-old when she helped in the parliamentary election campaign for IRA hunger striker Bobby Sands and was elected to Fermanagh District Council three years ago. She fell foul of party officials in October when she wrote a newspaper article describing DPPs as “meaningless talk shops” and was suspended. Despite calls for her resignation from the council, she has vowed to remain as an independent. She is the third Sinn Fein member of Fermanagh council to resign from the party in just over a year. The complaint leading to her suspension was made by the party’s provincial council, Cuige Uladh. It said that she had “publicly repudiated” Sinn Fein policy on policing and membership of DPPs and “was in direct contravention of established Sinn Fein policy and media protocols”. Ms Swift said she felt she had no choice but to leave the party after failed attempts to challenge the suspension. “I had referred to DPPs as ‘meaningless talk shops’ but at no stage had I contradicted anyone else for joining them,” she said. “I was suspended for those critical comments but I had never criticised other Sinn Fein members for their involvement. “As a member of a victims’ organisation that stands up for victims of state violence, it was not surprising that I should talk about the structural weaknesses of District Policing Partnerships.” Chairman of Fermanagh DPP and Sinn Fein councillor Domhnall O Cobhthaigh called for Ms Swift to resign her council seat. “Bernice was elected on a Sinn Fein mandate and she should now step down from the council and allow the electors who voted for a Sinn Fein candidate based on a Sinn Fein manifesto to have their democratically expressed wishes respected through a co-option,” he said.
The Truth Comes to England Grandson of Collusion Victim in England as Guest of the Troops out Movement Just two weeks after the PSNI released a report by their Historical Enquiries Team (HET) on the McGurk’s Bar Bombing in 1971, the grandson of Phillip Garry, who was one of the victims, was campaigning in England. Robert McClenaghan was representing An Fhirinne (The Truth), an organisation of relatives of people murdered by loyalist paramilitaries where there is evidence of collusion between the paramilitaries and British state forces. An Fhirinne and other relatives’ organisations are calling for an Independent International Truth Commission into the slaughter of their loved ones. They believe that a British government inquiry could not possibly be independent - and neither could a government of Ireland one, as they have done little to uncover the truth of killings in the twenty-six counties. Expressing no confidence in British investigative procedure Robert McClenaghan said: “The HET is about the police investigating the police. A report into the McGurk’s bombing was published by the HET two weeks ago. It is, as we suspected, a review of existing material rather than a new investigation.” Robert was in four English cities as a guest of the Troops Out Movement (TOM), the British-based organisation which campaigns for British withdrawal from Ireland. During his presentations he showed a very harrowing video of relatives speaking of their murdered loved ones. It showed to people in England the reality of what was done in their name. In August last year members of the Troops Out Movement met with Robert and Séamus Finucane, brother of Pat, the human rights solicitor murdered by a loyalist death squad in collusion with British security forces. The meeting was part of TOM’s annual delegation to Belfast and they pledged support for the relatives’ demands:-
Robert spoke of many of the collusion cases and made clear the relatives’ demands: “We are not talking prosecutions and revenge here, we want the justice of truth. Following any trauma, health professionals and counsellors speak of those affected needing closure. How can our families get closure without truth?” The tour started in the North West with Robert speaking in Liverpool and Manchester. In Manchester he presented a video and written material produced by An Fhirinne and Relatives for Justice to the Irish archive at the Working Class Movement Library. He went on to lay flowers at the Manchester Martyrs’ monument and at their grave. He continued on to the Midlands and spoke at meetings in Nottingham and Birmingham. At the public meeting in Birmingham’s Council House, Mary Pearson, secretary of the Troops Out Movement, pointed out that the atrocities were carried out in the name of the people of Britain, who had in fact paid the wages of the those who had colluded with the murderers. She said that there was a responsibility on everyone there, and everyone who knew about the collusion. to use the moving video to raise the issue in communities, trades unions and with the political parties and representatives. She referred to the government’s reluctance to hold inquiries because of claims they are too costly. Mary pointed out that it is the cover-ups which cost millions - the truth costs nothing. The meeting was also addressed by Louise Kilbride and Maureen Russell of the Telling Tales Theatre Group. They spoke on another collusion case, that of the murder of Patrick Shanaghan, about which they have written and performed a play “Stepping Out of Line”. They performed songs from the play at the meeting. In Birmingham Robert also met Irish community representatives and was interviewed live for a full hour on the Unity FM Community Radio. He so impressed the presenter that he recorded Robert speaking on the history of the conflict in the north of Ireland for a programme which will go out on Thursday July 3rd 5pm and can be heard outside Birmingham at www.unityfm.net. The Harp free newspaper serving the Irish community interviewed him for their July edition. He also met members of the Asian community, one of which offered to put leaflets in his shop. The tour culminated in Liverpool on Saturday 28th June at the James Larkin Society’s march and rally. The event was to commemorate the 100 years of the Irish Transport & General Workers Union (now SIPTU). Robert was the main speaker and gave a strong speech on Larkin as well as the demand for truth and justice about collusion. The Troops Out Movement would like to thank Robert for informative and moving presentations during the speaking tour, and all the relatives of collusion victims for allowing their stories to be told. We would also like to thank everyone in England who supported the tour and gave donations towards expenses. We can assure the relatives that we will continues to work for truth and justice for the victims of collusion and demand an Independent International Truth Commission.
Death Threat Phone Call Made to Council Offices A death threat has been received by Ballymena Borough Council against Sinn Féin Councillor Monica Digney. The call, received shortly after 3.30pm today, was from a male with an English accent and follows similar threats made last week against North Antrim MLA Daithi McKay, Ballymoney Councillor Anita Cavlan and a constituency office worker. Speaking moments after being advised of this latest threat against her life and in a clearly emotional and distressed state, Councillor Digney said: "I called the council offices regarding a matter relating to a constituent for whom I am acting and the receptionist, who sounded quite anxious, asked me if I was OK, to which I replied yes. “She further enquired about my well-being and whereabouts and when I asked was anything the matter, she explained that she had just received a call from someone purporting to be holding a gun to my head in my own home and about to pull the trigger. Obviously I was shocked at this news, as was the poor woman who had taken the call.” Commenting on the threat North Antrim MLA Daithí McKay said: "In recent weeks there appears to have been an escalation in these types of threats being made against Sinn Féin representatives in this area. Although no-one as yet has claimed responsibility for this, it is clear that those issuing these threats have nothing to offer our communities and will not deter Sinn Féin from pursing our objectives of Irish unity."
Nelson inquiry witnesses may face grilling Witnesses at the Rosemary Nelson inquiry may have to face a grilling over claims that police officers issued threats or made abusive remarks about the murdered solicitor. The inquiry has refused to allow lawyers to cross-examine witnesses about allegations they claim were made while they were being interviewed about terrorist offences. But in the High Court in Belfast yesterday Mr Justice Treacy granted leave for a judicial review of the decision following an application by Chief Constable Sir Hugh Orde. The judge also granted leave to challenge the inquiry’s failure to rule that it will obtain and have regard to the criminal convictions of witnesses making the allegations against police. The chief constable’s application was based on an overriding duty of fairness and Article 8 of the Human Rights Act which guarantees the right to respect for privacy and family life. Police lawyers argued that as serious harm could be done to the reputation of individual officers and to the PSNI as a whole, the standards of fairness demanded that the evidence of witnesses alleging serious wrongdoing should be subject to direct challenge by counsel for the police It was also argued that as the evidence of the witnesses concerned goes to the heart of the inquiry, their credibility, particularly any criminal convictions, should be obtained and taken into account when assessing their evidence. Lawyers claimed that the inquiry had misdirected itself in regard to cross-examination by having regard to matters such as cost and convenience rather than whether or not its procedure was fair. Regarding criminal convictions, it was claimed that the inquiry acted irrationally by concluding that criminal records of witnesses would not assist it in determining credibility. The inquiry is probing the circumstances surrounding the murder of Mrs Nelson, a 40-year-old Catholic mother-of-three, who was killed in a loyalist car bomb attack outside her Lurgan home in March 1999.
Court to overturn Morrison conviction Sinn Fein’s former publicity director Danny Morrison could be in line for substantial compensation from the British government after it emerged that his conviction for false imprisonment is to be overturned. In 1991 Mr Morrison – who coined the ‘Armalite and ballot box’ slogan a decade before – was convicted of the false imprisonment of Special Branch agent Sandy Lynch and sentenced to eight years in jail. He was released from prison in 1995 and left politics to pursue a career as a writer. In 2003 west Belfast man Freddie Scappaticci publicly denied that he was the British army agent known as ‘Stakeknife’. He denied having tipped off police that Mr Morrison was to visit the house on the Lenadoon estate where Mr Lynch was being held prisoner by the IRA. Mr Morrison said he had gone to the house to hold a press conference at which Mr Lynch would admit to being an informer. Earlier this year the 55-year-old and co-accused Gerard Hodgins had their cases referred back to the Court of Appeal by the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC), which investigates alleged miscarriages of justice. However, in a highly unusual move the commission refused to publicly explain its reasons for referring either man’s case back to the Court of Appeal. Instead a sealed envelope containing the commission’s reasons was presented to the Court of Appeal but never opened. Only the commission and the Public Prosecution Service (PPS) are aware of the reasons for Mr Morrison’s conviction being referred back to the appeal court. Previous attempts by Mr Morrison and Mr Hodgins to have their convictions overturned were rejected by the courts. However, last Friday the PPS unexpectedly informed the Court of Appeal that it would not oppose the latest appeal. The two men are expected to have their convictions officially overturned at a hearing on October 3. A PPS spokesman last night confirmed that it would not contest the appeal. Last night Mr Morrison’s solicitor Barra McGrory said: “We will be seeking disclosure of the reasons why the CCRC has sought to have these convictions overturned.” Legal insiders last night speculated that Mr Morrison could receive subtantial damages – potentially a six-figure sum – if he successfully sues the British government for malicious prosecution and wrongful imprisonment. Mr McGrory said his client could properly consider suing for the four years he spent in prison only once he had been made aware of the commission’s reasons for referring his case back to the Court of Appeal.
Woodward urged to reconsider Hamill inquiry A Belfast High Court judge today asked Northern Ireland Secretary Shaun Woodward to reconsider his decision not to extend a public inquiry into security force collusion. Mr Justice Ronald Weatherup said Mr Woodward should think again about whether to broaden the scope of the Robert Hamill inquiry’s terms of reference to include the office of the former Director of Public Prosecutions. Mr Hamill, a 25-year-old Catholic, died in hospital after being attacked by a loyalist mob in Portadown, Co Armagh in 1997. Nobody has been convicted of the murder. In March, Mr Woodward refused the Hamill family’s request to widen the investigation to include the DPP. But 18 months after submitting their request Mr Woodward rejected it after taking detailed legal advice. There was, David Perry QC, no justifiable grounds to extend the terms of reference. Mr Justice Weatherup said today: “I am satisfied that the test applied by the Secretary of State has not corresponded with the statutory test of public interests and therefore the decision of the Secretary of State, the issue, is referred back to the Secretary of State for reconsideration.” The inquiry was established in November 2004 to investigate claims that four Royal Ulster Constabulary officers in a Land Rover nearby allegedly watched what happened and did not intervene.
Shiels: teen trio in custody Three teenagers wanted for questioning about the murder in Derry of Emmett Shiels have voluntarily handed themselves into police in the city. The Irish News has also learned that the Bogside home of one of the three was targeted by paint-bombers on two separate occasions over the weekend. Slogans were also daubed on walls close to the teenager’s home but a relative of Mr Shiels painted over the slogans and helped cover the paint-bomb damage. Mr Shiels, from Derry’s Bogside, was shot dead early last Tuesday morning after remonstrating with a masked gang which appeared to be intent on carrying out a so-called punishment attack on an acquaintance of the dead man. The murder provoked widespread condemnation with huge numbers attending a vigil at the site of Mr Shiels’s death in Creggan on Tuesday evening. The INLA has been blamed for the killing. While the organisation has denied any involvement, speculation that it was responsible has persisted. In a separate development, police last night arrested an 18-year-old female in connection with the murder. Last week, a leading member of the organisation’s political wing, the IRSP, met a brother of Mr Shiels to discuss the murder. The party said the meeting had been satisfactory and more discussions would be held when an internal investigation into the murder was completed. Following the killing, two men, a 33-year-old and a 19-year-old, handed themselves over to police for questioning. Both men were released without charge. Three other teenagers – aged 16, 17 and 18 – wanted by police have been in hiding since last Tuesday. Sources indicated the three youths were in fear for their lives after the attack. It is understood friends and girlfriends of the three had been singled out for verbal abuse since the killing. The three teenagers turned themselves into Strand Road PSNI station shortly before 4pm yesterday. “Three men have been arrested this afternoon and are currently being questioned about the murder of Emmett Shiels,” a police spokeswoman said. She added all three were being held at the serious crime suite at Antrim PSNI station. The home of one of the three men at Cable Street in the heart of Derry’s Bogside was targeted by paint-bombers on two separate occasions since last week’s murder. Following the second attack, a brother-in-law of the murder victim removed slogans from walls around the house and helped deal with damage caused by the paint bombs. Following up on their investigations early this morning, police revisited the scene of Mr Shiels’s murder. Detectives spoke to people in the Bligh’s Lane, Lonemoor Road and Fanad Drive areas around 12.30am. A police spokesman said detectives hoped to speak to anyone who was in the area at the time of the murder. He urged anyone with information about the murder to contact police at the Strand Road station or to use the Crimestoppers number – 0800 555 111.
Man arrested for Loughinisland UVF attack fourteen years on The PSNI last night confirmed that it has arrested a man in connection a UVF gun attack on a Co Down bar which left six people dead. Six men died when loyalist gunmen burst into O’Toole’s Bar in Loughinisland on June 18 1994 as patrons watched Ireland play Italy in the World Cup. The victims, who were Catholic and Protestant, were Adrian Rogan (34), Eamon Byrne (39), his brother-in-law Patsy O’Hare (35), Malcolm Jenkinson (54), Dan McCreanor (59) and his uncle Barney Green (87), the oldest victim of the Troubles. Five other people were also injured. Police last night confirmed that detectives investigating the atrocity had arrested a 45-year-old man in Maidstone, Kent on Saturday and had brought him to Antrim Police Station after being granted a three day extension to continue questioning the suspect. In 2006 the families of those killed in the atrocity made a complaint to the Police Ombudsman’s Office alleging serious failures in the original RUC investigation of the murders. Those failures included potentially forensic evidence being lost when police destroyed the UVF gang’s getaway car, the failure to identify any of the killers despite a hair follicle being found on one of the balaclavas recovered after the attack and a self-confessed police informer admitting to having had possession of the getaway car days before the attack. Over the last 14 years some 20 people have been questioned about the gun attack but all were released without charge. It is understood the Police Ombudsman’s report into Loughinisland will be made public in September.
Police power talks 'to intensify' First Minister Peter Robinson has said he is willing to intensify talks with Sinn Féin on the transfer of policing powers to the Stormont government. Mr Robinson said he had been discussing the issue with Martin McGuinness, the Sinn Féin Deputy First Minister. He said no agreement had yet been reached, but added that he was "not gloomy" about the prospects of a deal. Speaking at a legal conference in Belfast, he said an agreement needed to "command the confidence of everyone". "I am committed and willing to intensify discussions with the Deputy First Minister and others in the period ahead to test the possibilities," he said. He said that they would only proceed "when the community has the confidence to make progress". "But at the same time we recognise that we have a responsibility to exert ourselves in order to identify safe structures which can create the conditions where this confidence will exist," he added. The DUP has opposed the transfer of powers, saying there was insufficient community confidence in Sinn Féin's commitment to the rule of law.
Minister urges dissidents to choose ‘peaceful road’ The killing of Derry man Emmett Shiels in an apparent dissident republican shooting was calculated and deliberate and has caused outrage in Derry, the deputy first minister has said. Martin McGuinness was speaking at a republican commemoration in Derry yesterday, the day after the funeral of the pizza delivery man who was gunned down in the early hours of last Tuesday. There has been widespread condemnation of the murder, with the young victim’s partner heavily pregnant with their first child. A 19-year-old man being questioned about the murder was released without charge on Saturday. Hundreds attended the 22-year-old’s funeral, with mourners – including Mr McGuinness – packing St Eugene’s Cathedral for the service that was held on Saturday. Mr Shiels, who police say was completely innocent, was shot on the Creggan estate in Derry after an altercation with a gang of masked men. Mr McGuinness warned the republicans responsible for the 22-year-old’s death that “armed actions in the absence of a political strategy and popular support are pointless and do nothing to advance the cause of Irish freedom”. “Earlier this week on the streets of this city a much loved member of our community was murdered,” he said. “It was no accident. It was deliberate and it was calculated. “It was also criminal a young man from a family steeped in Irish republicanism was gunned down in our city. “The rejection of those responsible for this murder was seen in the popular community opposition from the people of the Creggan, the Bogside, of this city at the vigil held on Tuesday night. The people’s message was clear. What happened was totally wrong and unacceptable.” Mr McGuinness said no-one had claimed responsibility for the killing. “It remains to be seen who carried out this killing,” he said. “It also remains to be seen which organisation will claim responsibility for the murder of Emmett Shiels. “To this point, five days on, there is no statement of responsibility. “We will know soon enough who killed Emmett Shiels.” Dissident groups were at a “fork in the road”, he said. “For them the choice is clear – choose the peaceful and democratic road to a united Ireland which is open to them, or they can choose to go down some sort of quasi-military cul-de-sac. There is no room for grey areas any longer.” Mr McGuinness said individuals within what he labelled “micro-groups” were trying to get the IRA back onto a military footing. Both he and Gerry Adams, he said, had offered to meet with the various groups, but that the offers had been “repeatedly spurned”.
Mayor Hartley to Lay Remembrance Wreath Sinn Féin Belfast city Mayor Cllr Tom Hartley will lay a laurel wreath at Belfast’s cenotaph tomorrow to mark the anniversary of the battle of the Somme when thousands of Irish men lost their lives during the First World War. The wreath laying ceremony will take place tomorrow, Tuesday 1st July at 9am at the cenotaph in the grounds of the City Hall. Following the wreath laying Mayor Hartley will chair a special meeting of Belfast City Council. Speaking today Cllr Hartley said: “I am acutely aware of the civic responsibility which comes from being Mayor of this city. On the 1st of July I will lay a laurel wreath at the Belfast Cenotaph at 9.00am to remember all those soldiers from the island of Ireland who lost their lives at the battle of the Somme. I will also chair the Special Council at 10.45am on the same morning. “I believe this level of direct participation to mark the Somme anniversary is appropriate for me as Mayor of Belfast. “I believe it builds upon the initiatives taken by Alex Maskey and Joe O'Donnell to reach out to the unionist and protestant people of Belfast. “Those from the nationalist tradition have largely felt alienated from these formal military events with all of the British symbolism involved. The direct result of this has been the almost erasing from history of the sacrifices of tens of thousands of Irishmen. “We should not shy away from the reality that the formal Somme Commemoration will primarily appeal to only that section of the people of our city, who are from a unionist and protestant background. We need to have an open and rational debate about how we commemorate these events in our shared past in an inclusive way.”
McGuinness: Dissidents have little support Northern Ireland's Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness has said dissident republican paramilitaries have little or no support in the community and should pack up and go away. He was speaking in Derry a day after the funeral of Emmett Shiels whose killing has been blamed on a dissident group. Mr McGuinness was at parade in Derry to remember IRA members from the city who died during the troubles. Martin McGuinness recalled how he had joined the paramilitary group in his youth and said it was then supported by the people. In an address at the city cemetery, he sent out a clear message to dissident republican groups, which have carried out a number of recent attacks. 22-year-old Emmett Shiels was shot in the Creggan area of the city in the early hours of Tuesday morning. His funeral took place yesterday. A 19-year-old man who was being questioned in connection with his murder has been released without charge. Another man who was arrested as part of the investigation into the death was released on Thursday. |
