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Daily Ireland

Mistaken identity leads to raid trauma

A DERRY mother of two has hit out at the PSNI after police raided her home in a case of mistaken identity.
Several homes in the city were searched in connection with the Garda arrests in Dublin and Cork.
Elaine Anderson opened the door of her Glendale Park home at 10.40pm on Thursday evening to be met by PSNI detectives probing “serious crime” and money laundering. She claimed the officer in charge had asked her, “Were you not expecting us?”
Two men from Derry, arrested at Heuston railway station in Dublin, were yesterday released from custody without charge pending a report being sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions.
Computers and dozens of documents were seized in a series of co-ordinated raids and searches on homes north and south of the Border.
The stunned Derry woman said she had been presented with a search warrant containing a name unknown to her. She was forced to wake her sleeping children — six-year-old Yasmin and four-year-old Zara — and take them to a neighbour’s house while eight police officers searched every room in her home. A convoy of six police vehicles was in the street outside.
The PSNI search team withdrew after 40 minutes. A spokesman later declined to reveal specific details of any of the raids that targeted four homes in the Waterside and Cityside areas of the city.
Miss Anderson said last night that she had been traumatised by the search. She said she was considering referring the search to the Police Ombudsman.
“They said they had a warrant to search my home but the name on the warrant was wrong. They asked me if I had large sums of money in my home and I replied, ‘I wish I had.’ I had to lift the children out of bed and take them to a neighbour’s house. When they were finished, they told me that I would be relieved to know that they had found nothing. They really didn’t give a damn.”
Sinn Féin assembly member Raymond McCartney last night accused the PSNI of raiding innocent people’s homes with no justification.
“I went and visited these people and it was obvious that they were distraught and had no sense of why their home was being raided. They showed me the warrant and it was obvious that the name on it was wrong.
“They feel like victims of false information and will lodge a formal complaint. It just shows that the PSNI are prepared to raid people’s homes on the flimsiest of evidence. These people feel that, in the wake of this raid, they will be wrongly linked to money laundering.”

Daily Ireland

Special Branch under fire

The family of Eoin Marley, the Irish People’s Liberation Organisation member killed by the IRA in 1990, has welcomed the Police Ombudsman’s report into his killing.
The report from Nuala O’Loan was published yesterday.
It blamed Special Branch for withholding information relevant to his murder.
Eoin Morley was shot dead by the IRA at his home in Newry, Co Down, in February 1990 as part of a dispute between the IPLO and the Irish Republican Army.
Ivan Morley said the family also believed that Special Branch gave the go-ahead for his brother’s murder in order to protected a high-ranking informer inside the IRA.
“We know that the quartermaster in the Newry area at that time was a man who has subsequently publicly admitted being an informer,” he said.
The weapon used to kill Eoin Morley would only have been moved with this man’s knowledge. It is therefore inevitable that Special Branch knew about the murder in advance but chose to let it go ahead, according to Ivan Morley.
“We are pleased that Nuala O’Loan’s report has shown up the Special Branch. We never expected to find a paper trail linking the Special Branch directly to killing our brother but this report is supportive of our position.”
The Morley family has also accused Special Branch of trying to create a feud between the IRA and IPLO through the killing of their brother.
Among other things, the Police Ombudsman’s report said that Special Branch withheld information from detectives investigating the murder.
Even though the RUC built up high-grade intelligence on those suspected of plotting Eoin Morley’s shooting, Mrs O’Loan discovered that nobody was ever arrested.
Her assessment has added weight to the Morley family’s allegation.
Police were also unable to tell Mrs O’Loan who took charge of the inquiry.
However, after examining files on the 1990 killing, Mrs O’Loan said she found no evidence to back claims it had been planned by the RUC.
After the killing, the IRA claimed that Eoin Morley had been working as an informer.
The IRA later withdrew this allegation and apologised to the family for it.
Mrs O’Loan’s examination of Special Branch files uncovered ten separate items of information that may have been vital to the murder investigation yet were never passed on to detectives.
The anti-terrorist unit’s failures were unacceptable, the report found.
Mrs O’Loan said, “In the absence of any indication as to who held the information and why, it has not been possible to draw any conclusions, other than to say this was but one of many occasions on which intelligence held in headquarters, which was relevant to the investigation of the most serious of crimes, was not transmitted to those police officers carrying out investigations.”
The ombudsman’s assessment echoed an earlier dossier she compiled on the hunt for the Omagh bombers.
On that occasion, her team established that critical warnings of an imminent terrorist strike were never relayed to officers in the Co Tyrone market town, where the Real IRA killed 29 people in 1998.
The latest probe was launched after relatives of Eoin Morley alleged that police instigated the killing in an attempt to ignite a republican feud and later refused to arrest the chief suspect.
The 23-year-old victim was gunned down at his girlfriend’s home in Newry, Co Down, on Easter Sunday, 1990 amid tensions between the IRA and the IPLO, a republican splinter group.
As well as backing the family’s view that the police did not conduct a thorough and proper investigation, Mrs O’Loan’s team established a number of other significant failings.
The ombudsman’s investigators interviewed two RUC officers.
Both denied having led the murder inquiry.
With only one detective still believed to be working in the PSNI, the force could not conclusively state who had responsibility.
Although there was no evidence to suggest that a crime had been committed, the confusion has stopped any disciplinary action being taken.
Forensic experts later disclosed to police that a gun found in unrelated house searches was the murder weapon, yet the development was never pursued, the report found.
A fingerprint, masks, overalls and gloves were also seized.
Despite having information linking a named man to the house where the material was found, the murder file did not list him as a suspect or check him against the fingerprint recovered.
When this man was arrested two months later over a separate incident, a hair sample was taken but it was never compared to the clothing found earlier, according to Mrs O’Loan.
She partially substantiated allegations that detectives had failed to arrest a known suspect referred to as Man A.
“High-grade intelligence was held by the RUC in relation to a number of individuals who were named as being responsible for the murder.
“The individuals were not arrested,” the ombudsman said.
“The practice of the RUC Special Branch not to disseminate information and the consequences of this inevitably led to suspicion that individuals were being protected.
“The PSNI has recently reorganised its crime department to professionalise serious crime investigation.
“There is now a much greater emphasis on the training of detectives.
“I believe these developments should give the public a greater confidence in the present ability of the police to tackle murder and serious crime.”
A PSNI statement said, “As the Police Ombudsman points out and we would reiterate, wide-ranging reforms have taken place.
“A new Crime Operations Department has been established, bringing Special Branch and Crime under the command of a single assistant chief constable, ensuring better sharing of information between both branches.
“The oversight commissioner has said that these new protocols, which have been implemented, meet the ‘best practice’ requirements of any police service in the world.”

BreakingNews.ie

Gardaí raid retirement home in Mullingar

19/02/2005 - 18:57:22

It is being reported that officers from the Criminal Assets Bureau have raided a retirement home near Tullamore, Co Offaly, this morning.

The premises are believed to be partly owned by Ted Cunningham, from whose house £2.3m (€3.3m) was seized last Thursday.

Cunningham was released by the Gardaí this afternoon but a file is expected to be prepared for the Director of Public Prosecutions.

The 57-year-old businessman is thought to be a director of at least nine companies, all of which will be investigated by the Gardaí as part of this ongoing operation.

Daily Ireland

Tribute to rock legend

“Going to my home town” was one of Rory Gallagher’s most celebrated hits and the people of his home town – Ballyshannon, Co Donegal – are set to honour him a decade after his death by naming the local theatre after him.
The legendary blues guitarist was born in Ballyshannon in 1948 and lived there until he was six-years-old, before moving to Cork city where he was raised.
Rory’s father, the late Daniel Gallagher, worked in Ballyshannon on the construction of the ESBs Cathleen Fall’s power station before the move to Cork.
Gallagher is viewed by many as the man who spearheaded the Irish rock movement. The proposal for the name-change of the theatre, in the Abbey Arts Centre, was initially mooted by the Rory Gallagher Tribute Festival Committee a number of months ago.
It has now been given the green light by the local town council after Fine Gael councillor Brendan Travers tabled a motion concerning the name-change at a town council meeting.
“Ballyshannon Town Council own the local theatre but it has a committee known as the Abbey Centre Trust who are currently being consulted ahead of the next town council meeting,” said Barry O’Neill, founder of the Rory Gallagher festival.
The Rory Gallagher International Tribute festival was established as a “birthday tribute”, coinciding with Rory’s birthday on March 2, 2002, but as there was huge interest in that event it was decided to establish an annual weekend event.
Now in its fourth year, the festival is becoming an increasingly popular event on the Irish music calendar with visitors attending from Holland, Germany, England, the USA, Norway and many other countries. Last year over 4,000 fans attended the four-day event and it is expected to grow this year.
“All visitors come bearing anecdotes about Rory and memories of his many tours across the world,” said Mr O’Neill.
“The festival is an unbelievable experience and is one big celebration of Rory’s life, with open-air concerts, films, guitar workshops and pub and theatre gigs. Each year we strive to link all the participants to Rory.
“For instance, this year Ronnie Drew is performing. Ronnie and Rory were great friends and Ronnie carried Rory’s Coffin at his funeral in Bishopstown, Cork City in June 1995.”
Rory Gallagher was based in London for most of his 30-year career and he toured extensively, selling 30 million records to a massive worldwide following.
He died in London at the early age of 47 in June 1995, from complications following a liver transplant. Although he had suffered health problems for some time, he toured until falling seriously-ill in late 1994.
He was renowned as a master on the guitar, playing rock and roll, blues and jazz music.
This is not the first time he will be commemorated by the people of his hometown.
“After forming our committee to honour Rory, we erected a monument at Rory Gallagher Place in Ballyshannon in his honour,” said Mr O’Neill.
“The people of Ballyshannon are highly proud of Rory Gallagher and what he achieved.
“Rory has left a great legacy to younger musicians who today can identify with the legend of rock and blues.”

BBC

CASH FOUND AT PSNI CLUB IS FROM NORTHERN RAID

The country club is owned by the RUC Athletic Association

Money discovered in a police sports club was stolen in the £26.5m Northern Bank robbery, detectives have confirmed.

Police discovered £50,000 in new Northern Bank notes at the Newforge Country Club in Belfast.

Five shrink-wrapped packages each containing £10,000 were found in the toilets of the facility.

The police, in excusing it, said it was designed to distract attention away from the inquiry and from events elsewhere.

It is the first cash from the robbery to turn up.

A police spokeswoman said the notes had consecutive serial numbers and corresponded with the numbers given to the PSNI by the bank.

A man rang the Police Ombudsman on Friday claiming to be a PSNI officer and told them where to find the money.

The RUC Athletics Association has blamed ‘outsiders’ for leaving the cash. New Forge Country Club is owned by the RUC Athletic Association.

The complex is used by former RUC officers and serving Police Service of Northern Ireland officers.

Guardian

Four arrests under hunt law

Press Association
Saturday February 19, 2005

Four men were arrested today under the new hunting legislation, police have said.

The men were found at 4am between Hullavington and Sherston, Wiltshire, with four dogs and the carcass of a hare, police spokesman Dave Taylor said.

The men, aged 31, 32 and 33 from south Wales and a 53-year-old from Ireland were arrested on suspicion of hunting with dogs under Section 1 of the new Hunting Act, which came into force yesterday.

Mr Taylor said they are also being investigated as to possible firearms offences relating to a modified air rifle and possible offensive weapons charges relating to the possession of a pointed/bladed article.

The men have now been released on police bail pending further enquiries.

Mr Taylor said: “They may become the first men prosecuted under the new law.” He added: “We would stress that they were nothing to do with any of the organised hunts.”

Thousands of defiant hunt supporters gathered across England and Wales today as foxhound packs rode out for the first time since new legislation on hunting came into force.

Over 250 hunts set off across the country “to drag hunt within the law” following the ban on the hunting and killing of foxes with hounds.

Anti-hunt groups claimed they already had evidence of “suspicious behaviour” and urged their supporters to stay vigilant.

Actor Jeremy Irons and Labour MP Kate Hoey were among the many followers condemning the ban as “prejudiced and bigoted” and determined to see it overturned.

Others claimed the new law was unenforceable and impossible to monitor.

Chief executive of the Countryside Alliance Simon Hart said it was “simply the first day in the dismantling of the Hunting Act”.

In a legal drag hunt foxes are flushed out of a wood and shot dead before their scent is left as a trail for the hounds.

The South Shropshire Hunt, whose joint master is Otis ferry, son of rock star Bryan Ferry, claimed its first legal fox hunting kill within an hour of riding out near Shrewsbury today. Clare Rowson, the West Midlands spokeswoman for the Countryside Alliance, said: “The fox was shot, taken out of the earth and then given to the hounds.”

Mike Hobday, from the League Against Cruel Sports, which has 100 monitors out at hunts, said “extremely suspicious activities are taking place”.

He added: “We have a number of clear signs of suspicious behaviour and we are gathering the evidence together in order to be able to get an assessment across the country.

“We have captured evidence on film and also have evidence from members of the public but that is all we can say at present.”

Earlier, the league’s chief executive Douglas Batchelor condemned the hunt’s decision to go out with hounds as “reckless”.

“They will need to exercise extreme caution if they are to avoid committing a criminal offence,” he said.

The Countryside Alliance said hunts would be difficult to monitor.

A spokesman said: “The Hunting Act gives no right of access to the police, let alone animal rights activists, to enter private property for the purpose of investigating hunting activities.”

Over 270 hunts will meet in England and Wales today - on the last six Saturdays a maximum of 12 hunts across the country have been followed by animal rights activists.

“Over 75% of hunts have never been followed by animal rights activists.”

Describing the ban on hunting with hounds, which came into force yesterday, as an “embarrassment” to prime minister Tony Blair, Mr Hart said he was sorely tempted to say “sod it” and defy it completely.

Despite this temptation, Mr Hart who was attending the Duke of Beaufort’s Hunt, Didmarton, Gloucestershire, insisted he would be urging all hunts to stay within the law and carry out drag chases.

But he also pointed out that “dogs will be dogs.” Under guidelines from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, an accidental fox kill is acceptable, as long as there is no proof of intent, he added.

Mr Hart said: “There has been hunting in England for 700 years. This (the ban) may take two or three years, perhaps two or three months, to unpick. It will be nothing more than a temporary break in normal service, as broadcasters say.”

Oscar winner Irons, who was attending the Bicester Hunt in Oxfordshire, said the ban was “the thin end of the wedge”.

“England is made up of minorities whether Asian or huntsmen,” he said. “I believe as a nation we should be allowed to live in liberty.”

He added: “The important thing is we intend to challenge the law. So it’s important to keep the hunt together and keep the infrastructure of hounds, kennel keepers and horses together.”

Labour MP Kate Hoey gave a defiant speech against her party’s ban on fox hunting today before she rode out with the Duke of Beaufort’s Hunt.

She branded members of her own party who supported the ban on hunting with hounds “prejudiced and bigoted.”

She told a crowd of more than 3,000 supporters, gathered at Worcester Lodge: “We will prevail and this law will have to be overturned.”

Police officers were also out in force to look out for evidence of breaches of the ban and act to prevent violence between hunt supporters and opponents.

Daily Ireland

Caught in the crossfire

The well-known businessman and political advisor Phil Flynn has resigned several prestigious private and public postings after being caught up in the money-laundering investigation being undertaken by the Garda.
Speaking to Daily Ireland last night, the former trade union leader and government-appointed troubleshooter, said he had stepped down as Chairman of the Bank of Scotland (Ireland) and resigned his position as the chair of the Irish Government committee overseeing the decentralisation of civil service departments.
The move comes after it emerged that a finance firm part-owned by Mr Flynn is under investigation by gardaí probing an alleged money-laundering operation.
Yesterday a dissident republican was charged with offences arising from the investigation. Phil Flynn said he had been “caught in the crossfire” of the Garda investigation.
Mr Flynn confirmed yesterday that he recently travelled to Bulgaria on a business trip with a man arrested by gardaí in Farran, County Cork, on Thursday.
Over £2.4m (€3.5m) has been recovered by Garda since the operation began on Wednesday night.
The 61-year-old is a close political adviser to Taoiseach Bertie Ahern and currently heads up a powerful committee overseeing the roll-out of the national decentralisation programme. Mr Flynn has been a strong supporter of the Daily Ireland project since its inception though he does not serve as a director. He was also a Vice-President of Sinn Féin in the 1980s.

Daily Ireland

Northern Bank heist notes found at PSNI Sports club

Notes linked to the Northern Bank robbery finally turned up last night — at a ‘country club’ in Belfast which has been used by PSNI Chief Constable Hugh Orde.
The discovery of the notes at the Newforge Country Club which is home to the PSNI RUC Athletic Club is being dismissed by the PSNI as a ‘sting’ by the group behind the robbery.
PSNI Chief Constable Hugh Orde and other senior officers often use restaurant facilities at the club to brief journalists.
The PSNI last night said the find was being taken seriously but insisted the Country Club was not part of the PSNI estates.
However, the club’s website boasts the badges of the PSNI and RUC and its gift shop “offers the ideal RUC or PSNI gift”.
Formerly used only by RUC officers, the country club in recent years has opened its facilities to the general public.
However, many of its patrons are current or retired officers of the RUC and PSNI.

RTE News

Sinn Féin leadership meets in Dublin

19 February 2005 16:39

Sinn Féin leaders have met in Dublin to discuss the political fallout from the series of raids and arrests by gardaí investigating alleged money laundering by subversives.

The party’s President, Gerry Adams cut short a visit to Spain to attend the meeting.

Speaking as he entered the meeting, Mr Adams said he still believed the IRA statement that it was not responsible for the Northern Bank raid.

He insisted that Sinn Féin was not involved in criminality and that he would not have anyone near him who was involved in criminality.

He criticised both what he described as a feeding frenzy by the media and what he said were attempts by Sinn Féin’s political opponents to use the events to smear the party.

Mr Adams also said that the Minister for Justice, Michael McDowell, was wrong to say that Sinn Féin was a ‘colossal crime machine’.

BreakingNews.ie

Orangemen face prosecution over parade
19/02/2005 - 14:50:35

Belfast Orangemen face prosecution after taking part in a parade today which had not been sanctioned by the Parades Commission.

Members of a single Orange lodge marched from Belfast into the city centre to commemorate two Ulster Defence Regiment soldiers who were murdered in the city in the 1980s.

The parade passed off peacefully with a protest mounted by less than a dozen nationalists as it passed the end of the Short Strand on its way into the city centre.

The parade had not been sanctioned because of a row over the application form which the Parades Commission said had been “incomplete and therefore unacceptable”.

Despite the failure to get clearance to march, the members of the Orange Lodge - Ulster Defenders of the Realm LOL 710 – said they were going ahead with their annual commemoration.

The Police Service said in the absence of a ruling from the Parades Commission giving the go-ahead those taking part were acting illegally and were given two warnings.

“Evidence was gathered and the matter will be forwarded to the DPP,” said a police spokesman.

The parade commemorates two UDR soldiers who were killed in Belfast’s Royal Avenue in a bomb blast in February 1988 during the construction of the Castlecourt shopping centre.

BreakingNews.ie

SF organising Belfast rallies to oppose ‘criminalisation’ of the party

19/02/2005 - 15:09:45

Sinn Féin is organising a series of rallies across the North to oppose what the party has described as attempts to criminalise it.

This afternoon, thousands of letters from the party president Gerry Adams were circulated in nationalist areas of Belfast and elsewhere inviting people to the rallies.

The letter said that the party’s opponents wanted to roll back republican advances.

The Belfast rally on Monday night will be held at a city centre hotel and will be addressed by Martin McGuinness.

BreakingNews.ie

Adams denies crisis in Sinn Féin

19/02/2005 - 12:59:04

The Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams has denied that there is a crisis within his party and said people should co-operate with the garda investigation into alleged money-laundering and subversive activity.

Speaking in Dublin on his return from Spain, Mr Adams said there was, without doubt, a serious situation developing but said accusations that his party were involved in the Northern Bank raid were disgraceful.

Speaking on Sky News, Mr Adams said his party is suffering “a torrent of abuse without due process”.

Irish Independent Online

Seized cash part of bank heist haul
Trouble-shooter Flynn quits top jobs over Provo money laundering probe

GOVERNMENT trouble-shooter Phil Flynn became the first high-profile casualty of the IRA money laundering scandal last night as it emerged that the cash recovered by gardai is definitely part of the Northern Bank raid haul.

Senior security sources last night revealed they were now certain that the bulk of the money seized so far came from the Belfast bank robbery last December.

This sensational disclosure confirms the views of the Irish and British governments that the IRA was responsible for the bank raid and is potentially a killer political blow for Sinn Fein in the Republic.

One well placed source told the Irish Independent last night: “We are not fully revealing our hand at this stage but we are satisfied beyond all doubt from evidence we have acquired that most of the notes under examination came from the bank robbery.”

A major conference on the latest disclosures in a saga that has rocked the political, economic and security worlds will be held in Belfast on Monday.

It will be attended by Justice Minister Michael McDowell, Garda Commissioner Noel Conroy and Deputy Commissioner Fachtna Murphy as well as North Secretary Paul Murphy and PSNI Chief Constable Hugh Orde.

Sources said evidence showed the IRA under the guidance of its former finance officer had set up the money laundering operation some time ago.

But the huge volume of money stolen in the Belfast raid, €38m, proved to be overwhelming for the laundering operation and those involved were unable to cope.

Establishing the link between the seizures and the bank robbery was last night being hailed as a major success for the Gardai who had been on the trail of the mainly Cork-based operators for several months, predating the robbery.

Meanwhile, Mr Flynn last night confirmed he was stepping down from a number of important positions in the public and private sector while categorically denying he had any involvement in money laundering for the Provisionals or anyone else.

The former trade union leader confirmed he was questioned by the Criminal Assets Bureau about his involvement with the Cork finance company at the centre of the probe.

In an interview with RTE News last night, Mr Flynn declared himself an “unrepentant republican” who has done nothing wrong.

The 64-year-old businessman announced he was resigning as chairman of the Bank of Scotland (Ireland) Ltd and as chairman of the Government’s decentralisation committee and as a board member of the VHI. Stating that he was “shell-shocked” by unfolding developments, Mr Flynn denied any knowledge or involvement in money laundering.

However, referring to his role as a non-executive director of that company Mr Flynn acknowledged that it appeared “strange that someone who is chairman of one of the country’s biggest banks should be involved in a small struggling finance organisation”.

He said that in this sense his involvement in the company could be seen as “an error of judgment”.

Asked whether he might have been used wittingly or unwittingly by former colleagues in the republican movement, Mr Flynn said he was not involved in money laundering for republicans or anyone else.

Referring to his former background as a former member and Vice President of Sinn Fein, he declared: “I am an unrepentant republican, I have always been and always will be. I make no apologies for that.”

He said he was stepping down from his roles in the public and private sector because he did not want those bodies dragged into the current events.

But he vowed that when garda inquiries were complete he would return to a high-profile position in public life.

Brian Dowling and Tom Brady

BBC

Cash find at RUC and police club ‘may be a distraction’

Police are examining a sum of money found in Belfast which they say could be linked to the Northern Bank robbery.

It was found at the Newforge Country Club on Friday. Police say the incident may simply be an effort to distract inquiries into the £26.5m Belfast raid.

The money - not believed to be substantial - is thought to include Northern Bank notes.

One person is still being held after £2m, £60,000 of it in the bank’s notes, was seized in the Irish Republic.

A police spokesperson said of the Belfast find: “Initial checks would suggest that this incident is an effort to distract the police investigating the Northern Bank robbery and also to divert attention away from events elsewhere over the last two days.

“However, police are taking the find seriously and the material recovered will be examined as part of police efforts to find those responsible for the robbery.”

New Forge Country Club is owned by the RUC Athletic Association.

The complex is used by former RUC officers and serving Police Service of Northern Ireland officers.

Guardian

This crisis threatens to halt the advance of Sinn Féin
A pub killing means more to republican voters than laundered swag

Robin Livingstone
Saturday February 19, 2005
The Guardian

The people of the Short Strand refuse to be pushed around. If they didn’t, the tiny Catholic enclave on the edge of loyalist east Belfast would have disappeared years ago. Regular and determined paramilitary assaults on the district have been repelled, and while the Short Strand has suffered tremendously, more obvious than its pain is the tremendous pride that comes from the very fact that it continues to survive.

So when £26m was stolen in a bank raid last December, the republicans who live here were perfectly willing to reject the claims of British spooks that the IRA was responsible - particularly since not a scintilla of evidence had been produced. And if truth be told, as the facts about the money seizure and arrests in Cork and Dublin emerge, core republican voters like these are still unlikely to be much bothered. In the weeks before the robbery the Northern was one of a number of banks that came in for a lot of punishing publicity amid a consumer magazine’s claims that a banking cartel was screwing its customers. If it turns out that the IRA was responsible, there will be no tears for the bankers.

But in the Short Strand and right across the island, tears are being shed for Robert McCartney, a 33-year-old father of two and a well-respected member of this small, close-knit community. McCartney didn’t die defending his home, or shot in his bed by the UDA. He was stabbed during a fracas outside Magennis’s Whiskey Cafe, a half-mile from his home, on Sunday, January 30. But just as the stories of dead residents and IRA volunteers have made the Short Strand a republican heartland, so the story of Robert McCartney has the power to damage Sinn Féin - much more than the bank raid could, and not only in the tidy redbrick streets of east Belfast, but in the teeming estates of Dublin and Derry and in the townlands of Armagh and Tyrone.

As Belfast digested the news of the stabbing, it seemed like just the latest in a sorry litany of booze-fuelled weekend assaults and deaths. But soon Belfast was buzzing with rumours that a well known republican was the killer and that the IRA had used its finely honed anti-forensics skills to ensure that the culprit couldn’t be connected to the killing. Not only that, but the IRA was intimidating witnesses who might otherwise have made statements to the police. And because the rumours further discomfited a republican movement already under pressure, another opportunity for Sinn Féin-bashing was too good to turn down for all concerned. So for Dublin and London, for the Irish and British media, the McCartney killing became the right hook to the left jab of the Northern Bank robbery.

There is no hard evidence to support the claims that a republican killed McCartney, or indeed that the IRA assisted the killer and threatened witnesses. But the belief in Short Strand is that while the killing of Robert McCartney was in all likelihood the result of a beery brawl, a republican, even a republican who fought the Brits for many years, should have to pay for stabbing somebody to death in a street fight.

Perhaps because they were distracted by the political onslaught against them following the collapse of the peace process, perhaps because of hubris or complacency, Sinn Féin handled it horribly. They lost the Sinn Féin-voting McCartney family early on and the heartrending appeals of the dead man’s sisters in the media wounded them badly. There’s a running joke among the party faithful that there’s a department in the Northern Ireland Office tasked with sending letters to Irish newspapers signed “ex-Sinn Féin voter”, and given the curious fact that such letters become more numerous as Sinn Féin’s popularity increases, it’s a joke, as they say here, with a jag. But this was a bona fide Sinn Féin family laying into republicans not for political gain, but out of grief and anguish. Tell the police what you know, they urged listeners and readers; leave them alone if they do, they urged republicans.

Sinn Féin’s terse response that anyone who knew anything should make a statement to their solicitor was in keeping with their opposition to the Police Service of Northern Ireland, but it sounded callous against the keening of the McCartney sisters, and the grumblings of discontent in Short Strand could be heard in Cork. Hence Wednesday’s unexpected IRA statement, which was warmly welcomed by the family. “Anyone who can help the family should do so,” the statement read.

Thin gruel indeed, you might think. But in the carefully considered language of P O’Neill, that line contained much more than nine words. Given that the family had stated that it was four-square behind the police in its attempts to catch the killer, any “help” given to them would be passed on to the PSNI. That’s a reality that the IRA acknowledged when it issued its statement.

Whether any witnesses will take advantage of this effective amnesty from the IRA to come forward only time will tell. And difficulties still remain. If a republican is arrested and charged on the basis of information received, the ferocious loyalty among republicans means that he will still receive support among his active comrades, especially if he has been in prison or was a doughty fighter. It’s a long way between an interview room and a life sentence.

The ultimate arbiters in all this will be the voters. Were elections to be held next week, there’s no doubt that the outlook would be bleak for Sinn Féin. Even before this week’s arrests and recovery of money it had been badly battered. But with 10 weeks until the local and Westminster elections and probably more than a year until the Dáil elections, republicans remain hopeful.

If it does turn out that the IRA has been caught red-handed, Gerry Adams, the Sinn Féin president, needs to convince both core and potential voters that his claim the IRA told him they didn’t do it and that he believed them was not a cynical charade. The only way he can do that is to say he was lied to. In the unlikely event that he does this, republicans might find the wriggle room that has been denied to them in recent weeks. And it might put some clear blue water between Sinn Féin and the IRA.

Thanks to the robbery, Sinn Féin may well simply hold on to its existing vote come election time rather than continue its steady expansion. The party’s local machine continues to put in the work in a way that its rivals can only marvel at. Electoral meltdown of the kind experienced by the SDLP in recent years is unlikely.

The McCartney affair is potentially more dangerous for Sinn Féin. The best outcome would be a quick and convincing conviction. But if the killer stays free, even without the aid of the IRA, that fact will come to be the fault of republicans for what they did or didn’t do in the days after the killing. The ghosts of the disappeared and the grim search for their bodies have haunted the IRA for years. How ironic it would be if the last of the disappeared remained alive, was one of their own, and did them most damage.

· Robin Livingstone is editor of Andersonstown News in Belfast.

robin@irelandclick.com