SAOIRSE32

BN.ie

17/11/2006 - 08:53:42

A former Democratic Unionist councillor will be sentenced in a court in the North today after admitting fraud during the 2005 elections.

Sentencing was delayed last month after former Coleraine mayor Dessie Stewart punched a press photographer on his way in to court in Antrim.

He will appear at Newry Crown Court after admitting in September four counts of pretending to be someone else in order to cast postal votes and two of fraudulently stopping free exercise of a proxy vote.

Stewart resigned from the DUP last month and has also stepped down from the council.

A by-election will now take place in the Skerries ward where he had held a seat since 1989.

The electoral fraud charges against Stewart related to the Westminster and local government elections which took place on the same day in May 2005.

BBC

New laws to tackle knife crime as well as a second amnesty have been announced by the government.

The Violent Crime Reduction Act makes it illegal to sell knifes to anyone under 18 and introduces a new offence of using someone to mind a weapon.

The knife amnesty will begin on 20 November. Almost 900 items were handed in during the first amnesty.

Criminal Justice Minister David Hanson said the government was determined to “confront knife crime”.

“It is important that it is made more difficult to purchase knives in Northern Ireland and this law will also introduce other measures such as making it illegal to use someone to mind a weapon,” he said.

“Almost 900 potentially lethal items were removed from the streets of Northern Ireland during the first amnesty and I would again call on everyone to use this opportunity to dispose of any knives in a secure and safe way.

“The government, in partnership with the PSNI and Policing Board will continue to confront the culture of carrying knives in Northern Ireland.”

In June, police said that 886 knives were handed in during a three-week amnesty which also saw a 30% drop in incidents of knife crime.

The Violent Crime Reduction Act received Royal Assent on 8 November.

For Northern Ireland, the act made new provisions on weapons including:

–Raising the age at which knives or items with blades or points can be purchased from 16 to 18 years of age and crossbows from 17 to 18 years of age

–Establishing a new offence of using someone to mind a weapon

–Reducing the threshold for a constable to exercise his power of entry and search of a school and person on school premises for weapons

–Extends current law on minimum sentences (five years for adults and three years for 16-18 year-olds) in an additional series of offences involving firearms possession and use

–Amends firearms law to tackle misuse of imitation firearms by making it an offence to manufacture, import or sell imitation firearms.

The government is planning for the commencement of these new powers.

Ulster Unionist assembly member Ken Robinson said the positioning of repositories for knives being surrendered “must be centrally located in places where young people, in particular, go”.

“They must not be in out of the way, inaccessible places such as council civic amenity sites,” he said.

“Better locations with more thought going into positioning will lead to more knives being taken out of circulation.”

Derry Journal

16 November 2006

THE INLA is NOT targeting prominent Sinn Fein leaders, the political party linked to the paramilitary group has revealed.
Earlier this week, Sinn Fein’s Martin McGuinness told the ‘Journal’ that the party was convinced of an “active threat” to members of its leadership.
The Mid-Ulster MP revealed that there had been growing concerns for some time of a “coming together between a tiny number of disaffected former IRA people and elements of various micro groups, including some members of the INLA.”
Indeed, PSNI Chief Constable Hugh Orde, speaking during a visit to Derry yesterday, said police were treating the reported threats as “very real”.
However, Willie Gallagher, a leading member of the Irish Republican Socialist Party (IRSP) - which has links to the INLA - accused Mr. McGuinness of “talking absolute rubbish.”
He told the ‘Journal’ this week: “These ridiculous claims are a blatant attempt to negate any debate within the anti-PSNI republican camp.
“The very fact that both Peter Hain and Hugh Orde have said that they are also aware of these claims suggests this is a co-ordinated spin exercise by both the leadership of Sinn Fein and their British masters.”
Mr. Gallagher added: “I am one of the individuals who has attended every one of these so-called ‘coming togethers’ that Martin McGuinness has referred to and I can assure him that nothing of the sort that he has alluded to was discussed.
“In fact, to be quite frank, if talk like that had come up, we would not have been there.”
Mr. Gallagher branded Mr. McGuinness’ remarks as “part of the latest strategy to negate any dissenting voices within republicanism.
“However, he needs to realise that we won’t be deflected from our opposition to acceptance of a corrupt British police force.”

BN.ie

16/11/2006 - 12:18:49

The Northern Ireland Assembly is to be dissolved next January to prepare for a fresh Stormont election on March 7, the British government revealed today.

Northern Ireland Secretary Peter Hain’s Bill implementing the St Andrews Agreement confirmed the Assembly would be dissolved on January 30 ahead of the full restoration of power sharing.

The Bill will enable a transitional Assembly to meet from November 24.

It is not clear if the Democratic Unionist leader the Rev Ian Paisley and Sinn Féin’s Martin McGuinness would be sworn in as Shadow First and Deputy First Ministers at next week’s meeting of the Assembly.

BN.ie

16/11/2006 - 15:20:26

The British government wants the Democratic Unionists and Sinn Féin to indicate next week who will be their choice for first and deputy first ministers at Stormont if efforts to revive power sharing are to remain on course.

Following the publication of the Northern Ireland (St Andrews Agreement) Bill, it became clear DUP leader Ian Paisley and Sinn Féin’s Martin McGuinness will not be appointed first and deputy first ministers or have to take a pledge of office.

Instead, the parties will have to declare at the first meeting of a new Transitional Assembly tomorrow week who they intend to nominate to the top posts in the Executive once devolution is restored on March 26.

A Stormont source said: “The DUP will probably say Ian Paisley will be our nominee for first minister in the event of Sinn Féin delivering on its commitment to policing by March 26.

“Sinn Féin will say Martin McGuinness would be their preferred choice.”

The Bill also revealed that the Transitional Assembly would be dissolved on January 30 to enable fresh Stormont elections on March 7 ahead of the planned date for restoring power sharing on March 26.

The emergency legislation is being rushed through Parliament over the next week.

It also covers plans to possibly reconstitute District Policing Partnerships in the event of devolution, delay a ban on academic selection and hold out the possibility of Assembly members taking the final decision, and also force MLAs to report back to the Government on March 27 2008 on plans to transfer policing and justice powers from Westminster.

BBC

16 November 2006

A second forensic scientist has called into question the DNA evidence at the Omagh bomb trial.

Professor Allan Jamieson said in his view, low copy number DNA was unreliable and the test results were open to interpretation.

This technique, where DNA profiles can be obtained from samples with only a few cells, is an important part of the prosecution’s case against Sean Hoey.

Mr Hoey denies 58 charges including the murder of 29 people in Omagh in 1998.

Belfast Crown Court heard that molecules used in low copy number DNA were the size of a millionth of a grain of salt.

Giving evidence for the defence, Professor Jamieson said that in his opinion, the less DNA being tested, the less chance there was of a reliable result.

Also giving evidence on Thursday was a forensic scientist in the unit specialising in the technique, who examined items in this case.

Samantha Underwood said she wore a lab coat, hair net, gloves and face mask to prevent contanimation of exhibits as they were being swabbed.

She said it was common practice to change gloves between swabs, but said she and her colleagues shared lab coats that were cleaned once a week.

The case continues.