SAOIRSE32

Derry Journal

26 January 2007

The mother of a Dungiven man murdered by loyalists in North Belfast in December 2000, has claimed that police know the UDA members who carried out the killing.

Marie Moore, the mother of Gary Moore (30) - who died after being shot twice in the back while working on a Monkstown building site - made the claim after a report this week found that police officers colluded in up to 16 UVF murders in the area. Police Ombudsman Nuala O’Loan concluded in her report that Special Branch had recruited, paid and protected “serial killer” Mark Haddock as an informant.
Mrs. Moore has demanded to know if the police also colluded with UDA assassins operating in the area at the time.
Mrs. Moore said she watched a TV programme detailing Mrs O’Loan’s revelations with “disbelief”.
“Myself and my husband at in disbelief watching insight - I actually felt sick looking at it. My husband kept saying ‘what did I tell you’. We don’t have any faith now in what the police told us at the time - you’re thinking back asking yourself ‘were they telling us the truth’? Or were they covering it up? What do they really know and who are they protecting.
“Gary was shot twice in the back and they know exactly who did it. In my heart of hearts I know they know.”
And Mrs Moore and her family have doubts over whether a full and adequate investigation in to Gary’s killing was ever carried out. After the murder the family had little or no contact with the police while Gary’s brother - who also worked on the Monkstown building site - was not interviewed.
“My son had no involvement with any organisation - he was another innocent victim. If we are going to have peace here we have to know the truth about all of this - I believe someone knows who killed my son and I would appeal to anyone who does to pass that on.
“December 6 was Gary’s sixth anniversary - and there still isn’t a day that goes past that I don’t think about him. We’re sitting here now wondering who killed him and if they were protected by the police - the problem is we just don’t know.”
Meanwhile, a Donegal-based Peruvian man whose wife was murdered by the UFF near Mount Vernon in Belfast has admitted he suspects that police colluded in the killing. Maxile Mongero has called on Nuala O’Loan to investigate to wife’s murder.
“My wife answered a knock to the door and was shot twice to the face and neck, she died instantly. The UDA/UFF said that I was the intended target - probably because I rent property to Catholics.”
Mr. Mongero said he received a warning from police a month prior to the murder.
“I will now ask the ombudsman’s office to look into my wife’s murder and expose the truth,” he said.

Belfast Telegraph

Thursday, January 25, 2007

Derry City Council was today dealt a blow in its long running battle to have the name of the city changed.

Following a judicial review this morning it emerged that by law Londonderry remains the legally correct title for the maiden city.

Revealing his findings at the High Court, Mr Justice Weatherup said that to change the name to Derry it would be “necessary to change the charter by legislation”.

Today’s hearing came about after Derry City Council had asked for legal clarification on whether the legal name of the city is Derry or Londonderry.

Reacting to the ruling former Sinn Fein councillor Barney O’Hagan said he was disappointed by the outcome.

“We are disappointed that the matter has not been resolved today but it actually, in essence, changes nothing,” he said.

“Derry City Council decided that the official name of the city, when it voted four years ago, should be changed. This has come about because of a failure by the DoE to deal with that issue and we will be asking them and any other relevant government agency to do whatever is necessary to deal with this anomaly.”

A request that the Crown should cover the cost of the legal wrangling over the official name of the city is due to be heard at the High Court at a later date.

The legal hearing began in September 2006 after the City Solicitor’s Office submitted an application for a ruling in a bid to finally resolve the issue.

The move followed a detailed report in 2003, prepared by Francis Farrelly QC, that concluded that the city’s name changed to Derry in 1984 when Derry City Council was established to replace the Londonderry Corporation.

The report was initially sent to the Department of the Environment for consideration, but when it failed to respond, councillors voted to mount a legal challenge to get a court ruling on whether the 1984 legislation, when combined with other laws, had changed the city’s name.

Nationalists on the council have repeatedly argued that the name change was necessary to avoid confusion when marketing the city for inward investment or tourism.

The DUP, however, have consistently claimed unionists would use the name Londonderry regardless of today’s decision.

Speaking ahead of the ruling today, DUP MP Gregory Campbell, advocating a retention of the London prefix, said: “We have to ensure the two communities remain comfortable with the way life is in the city.”

However, Sinn Fein councillor Peter Anderson, whose party colleagues attended the hearing, said the nationalist majority had a right to have their city’s name officially recorded as Derry.

Belfast Telegraph

By Sam McBride
Friday, January 26, 2007

Plans for a new sports stadium for Northern Ireland are being used as a political football by the Government, it was alleged last night.

A Government proposal to build a 35,000-seater stadium on the site of the former Maze jail is based on political judgment rather than a sporting or business case, football fans claimed.

The £400m proposal was the subject of an invitation-only public debate at the Waterfront Hall in Belfast last night.

Gary McCallister, who represented The Green And White Army, which speaks for more than 70 Northern Ireland supporters clubs, said there was no transparency about the Maze proposal.

“The Government has shrouded this in secrecy and won’t tell us how much the project will cost or why they chose it over the Belfast proposals,” he said.

“They are using sport to satisfy a political agenda.

“It’s not a sporting decision - the Maze is not in the interests of football as it is too big and doesn’t have good enough transport links.”

He said that Sports Minister David Hanson has agreed to debate the issue in the future.

The panel also included Edwin Poots, chairman of the Maze Consultation Panel, Councillor Bob Stoker from Belfast City Council and Michael Smyth, a senior lecturer in economics and politics at the University of Ulster.

Former Belfast Telegraph journalist Darwin Templeton chaired the panel.

Last month IFA president Jim Boyce said he wanted the stadium to be in Belfast.

“I have always made it clear that I would prefer a stadium in Belfast,” he said, but added that no potential developers or local authorities had come to the IFA with concrete plans.

“So far the Maze is the only site on offer but, of course, we would take a serious look at any other plans for a stadium in Belfast.”

The Government is to make a final decision about the stadium at the end of the year.

Belfast Telegraph

Friday, January 26, 2007

Police Ombudsman Nuala O’Loan has publicly rebuked ex-senior Special Branch officers over their recent claims that they co-operated with her McCord case investigation.

In a strong-worded statement to the Belfast Telegraph, Mrs O’Loan said it was “important that the record is put right”.

She said former officers refused requests by her investigators to speak to them over a six month period and instead sent regular correspondence through a solicitor.

“We put a series of questions about some of the murders I referred to earlier this week. Again they refused to answer them. Their solicitor said it would be ‘completely impractical’ to do so.

“These people were police officers. They know well that no investigator would view such a response as cooperation. One of the reasons the solicitor gave was that they had ‘no real desire’ to raise their media profile.

“I have noted that almost within 24 hours of my report being published they had begun a series of television, radio and newspaper interviews.”

Mrs O’Loan added: “It is important that the public are not left with the impression that the attitude of these officers is typical of police officers and retired police officers.

“More than 100 serving and retired police officers cooperated with our investigation.”

Belfast Telegraph

By Noel McAdam
Friday, January 26, 2007

The Sinn Fein leadership has vowed to “put manners” on the PSNI while attempting to do the same with dissidents at a packed meeting in Londonderry.

Up to 1,300 people filled into the Millennium Forum to hear Gerry Adams, North Belfast MLA Gerry Kelly and MEP Bairbre de Brun outline the party’s position on policing and justice in the run-up to the crucial ard fheis on policing on Sunday.

Some 200 people gathered in the hall of the theatre after the 1,100 capacity venue filled up to listen to proceedings on loudspeakers.

On the same day that party chief negotiator Martin McGuinness received more death threats, he and his party answered questions from the floor on the continued presence of MI5 in Ireland, whether young people should support the PSNI, and why Sinn Fein had not done more to woo dissenting voices.

Queries about collusion were also posed, and the party hierarchy did not have an easy ride.

From the podium, Mr Adams said that he met with people opposed to Sinn Fein’s position.

“Some frank words have been said and some hard words have been said, which I thought were unfortunate,” he said.

“If this motion goes through at the ard fheis, it is about putting manners on the police.”

Mr Adams said that his calls to meet had been publicly rebuffed by Republican Sinn Fein and the 32 County Sovereignty Movement.

To loud applause, he added that unlike the IRA, neither the CIRA nor RIRA had “the military capacity, the military strategy or support in the communities from which they come”.

“We have moved on from one stage of the struggle to another. It is now time to build our political strengths,” he said.

On dealing with the unionist “elite” he said: “We have to shut down their options and move them towards new options - a green Ireland, a republican Ireland. They have to appreciate that the old days are gone.

He added that he wanted “permission” from the electorate to support policing, and added that the PSNI has to earn the confidence and respect of young people, saying: “If our grandchildren do positive work they will live in a united Ireland.”

Mr Kelly told the audience that support for police was part of “getting the Brits out of Ireland”.

“This is about victory over defeat. The British have long since accepted they will never defeat republicans, while we now know we will never push the British into the sea,” he said.

“We have got to break the unionist grip on this last bastion of unionist control - to lose the grip at this stage would be the worst possible mistake. They’ve nowhere else to go. The question is not if but it’s a matter of when. If society needs policing then we have to decide how to get there.”

Belfast Telegraph

By Noel McAdam
Saturday, January 27, 2007

Sinn Fein last night held up the prospect of ‘Plan B’ - increased involvement of the Irish government in Northern Ireland - if there is no devolution deal.

Gerry Adams told the DUP: “You will have to explain to unionists the increased role for Dublin if there is no power-sharing Executive.”

The Sinn Fein president told the Belfast Telegraph: “It is not an ultimatum - just a statement of fact.”

On the eve of his party’s crucial ard fheis verdict tomorrow on supporting policing, there were increasing indications the republican leadership will carry the day - and force the political spotlight onto the DUP.

The Rev Ian Paisley’s party will point out the ard fheis motion is conditional on the establishment of a power-sharing Stormont Executive - and a date for the transfer of justice powers.

The British and Irish governments are set to hail the ard fheis verdict and attempt to switch the focus on the DUP to indicate its willingness to agree to enter government with republicans.

London and Dublin will be assisted by the publication on Tuesday of the latest Independent Monitoring Commission report which is expected to be positive.

Secretary of State Peter Hain has insisted the March 26 date for a new executive, almost three weeks after the March 7 elections, cannot be changed.

Without a deal, the St Andrews Agreement consolidates so-called ‘Plan B’, an enhanced role for the Irish in the province.

Mr Adams said the DUP would have to explain to unionists why there will not be accountability via a local Assembly.

“They will have to explain why fly-in, fly-out British ministers will be imposing water charges and cuts and why, instead of an Assembly, we will have new partnership arrangements with the British and Irish governments.”

Mr Adams said the DUP should be satisfied by the motion to be debated tomorrow, since it had helped craft it.

BBC

People working in restorative justice schemes in the future should be vetted, a Westminister committee has said.

The Northern Ireland Affairs Committee said an independent panel must be set up to ensure they had no paramilitary links.

It said those working in the schemes must not have had any serious criminal convictions since Good Friday 1998.

The report said restorative justice groups must communicate fully and directly with the PSNI.

It said any scheme which serves as a front for paramilitaries must not be supported.

Complementary

Committee members visited restorative justice schemes during the course of their investigation and said they were impressed by what they saw.

However, in the report, MPs said their role must be complementary to and not parallel to the work of the police, and the courts.

Committee chairman Sir Patrick Cormack said: “It truly has to be a level playing field here.

“All of these schemes have to be signed up to the same protocol, accept the same conditions, the same restrictions and work in harmony together and there must not be a political influence or involvement.”

Restorative justice is a community-based scheme, designed to bring together victims and offenders and is an attempt to resolve their differences without going through the courts.

There are three types of restorative justice schemes operating in Northern Ireland.

Youth Conferencing is government sponsored and regulated and works with the police, Courts Service and Public Prosecution Service. It dealt with 299 cases last year.

Community Restorative Justice Ireland, which operates in some nationalist areas, has no working relationship with the police, PPS or courts. It says it dealt with 1,700 cases last year.

Northern Ireland Alternatives operates in five loyalist areas. It does not work with the PPS or the Courts Service, but works with the police. It says it dealt with 300 cases in 2005.

BBC

A senior member of Sinn Fein has said that dissident republicans are plotting to kill him.

Martin McGuiness said he will not be intimidated

Chief negotiator Martin McGuinness said that the police had warned him of a “substantially increased threat” to his life.

Sinn Fein is to debate endorsing Northern Ireland’s police service at an historic meeting for the party in Dublin this weekend.

The Mid-Ulster MP said that he would not be intimidated.

“Sinn Fein takes these threats seriously,” he said.

“Over the past 30 years Sinn Fein elected representatives and members have been murdered and targeted by those within the British system and their surrogates.

“We did not allow those threats to deflect us from our work in bringing about Irish unity and independence and this latest threat will only serve to strengthen our resolve.

“There will (be) disappointment across the broad nationalist republican community that so-called dissident republicans are targeting the Sinn Fein leadership in this way.”

BBC

The Continuity IRA has rejected an invitation to talks from Sinn Fein president Gerry Adams.

Gerry Adams asked dissident republicans to meet with him

The group has also denied involvement in any plot to kill senior members of the party.

Sinn Fein’s Martin McGuinness said on Thursday that the police had warned him of new threats to his life.

Dissident republican groups are opposing Sinn Fein leaders’ proposals that the party backs the PSNI at a special ard fheis this Sunday.

On Thursday night, Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams told republicans in Londonderry that if the party did support policing it would be to “put manners” on the PSNI.

He was addressing more than 1,000 people at the party’s last rally ahead of this weekend’s special ard fheis (conference) on policing to be held in Dublin.

The DUP’s Ian Paisley Jr said his remarks were “childish and pathetic”.

Mr Adams clarified that he had meant his party would “make sure they are professional, non-partisan and civic”.

He said they wanted a “service for citizens who are nationalists, republicans, unionists, of different racial or ethnic backgrounds”.

“We don’t have it at the moment but we have the ability to get it, and that’s what Sinn Fein is about,” he added.

Concern

During the meeting, members of the audience expressed concern about collusion and the accountability of MI5.

There was also criticism about the decommissioning of the IRA’s weapons.

“Ultimately, it is the British government which will recruit, it is the British government which will train, motivate, and above all who will pay and give the orders to such a police force.”
Ruairi O’Bradaigh
Republican Sinn Fein President

Mr Adams told the crowd: “(I have asked to meet) people in armed groups which are not in cessation, one that styles itself the Continuity IRA and the other the Real IRA.

“In my opinion, there is only one IRA, and that’s the one which fought the British for a very long time.”

More than 2,000 republicans are expected to vote at the ard fheis this weekend.

Sinn Fein’s party executive decided earlier this month to go ahead with the ard fheis.

It had earlier been put in doubt after the party complained about the lack of a “positive response” from the DUP.

The British government has said Sinn Fein support for policing and the DUP’s commitment to power-sharing are essential if devolution is to be restored in Northern Ireland.

Denied CIRA links

Meanwhile, Republican Sinn Fein are considering fielding prisoner candidates in the March assembly election.

Interviewed for the BBC’s Inside Politics, Republican Sinn Fein President Ruairi O’Bradaigh said he hoped young republicans would oppose Gerry Adams’s support for the PSNI at Sunday’s special ard fheis in Dublin.

A former IRA chief of staff, Mr O’Bradaigh outlined why he did not accept that the future devolution of justice would change the nature of the police in Northern Ireland.

“Ultimately, it is the British government which will recruit, it is the British government which will train, motivate, and above all who will pay and give the orders to such a police force,” he said.

“That is already happening.” Mr O’Bradaigh has consistently denied that his party is linked to the dissident paramilitary group Continuity IRA (CIRA).

BBC

A man cleared of a murder during a loyalist feud must stand trial again, Appeal Court judges have ruled.

Willliam Courtney was acquitted of murder

William ‘Mo’ Courtney, 43, was released in November after a judge decided he had no case to answer on a charge of murdering Alan McCullough, 21, in 2003.

It is the first time the Crown appealed against a murder acquittal in NI.

It is believed his new trial will have to be heard in front of a different judge to Mr Justice McLaughlin, who heard the first case.

Courtney is out on bail and was not in court.

Lord Chief Justice Sir Brian Kerr heard the Crown’s application with Lord Justice Campbell and Mr Justice Coghlin.

Sir Brian said: “We are satisfied that the interests of justice require that the defendant stand trial on the first count of the indictment (murder) that has been preferred against him.”

The Crown had not sought a retrial on a second charge of UDA/UFF membership.

Sir Brian said the court was satisfied that if Mr Justice McLaughlin had taken all the evidence into account on an all-encompassing basis he would have found that there was sufficient evidence to raise a prima facie case against Courtney, notwithstanding the frailties of some witness evidence.

“The failure to approach the case in this way constituted, in our opinion, an error both in law and in principle,” he said.

The body of Alan McCullough was found in a shallow grave

Alan McCullough, 21, fled to England with other members of UDA leader Johnny Adair’s so called ‘C Company’ when feuding broke out within the organisation.

However, he returned to the Shankill area of Belfast after his family got assurances he would not be harmed.

He was last seen leaving his mother’s house in Denmark Street on 28 May, 2003, being driven away in a car.

The body of Mr McCullough, 21, was found in a shallow grave on the outskirts of north Belfast. He had been shot.

BBC

A leading member of the Loyalist Volunteer Force has been sentenced to 28 years for the murder of Portadown grandmother Elizabeth O’Neill.

William James Fulton was jailed for 48 offences

William James Fulton, 38, of Queen’s Walk, Portadown, was jailed for 48 terrorist offences including attempted murder of four police officers.

Mrs O’Neill, 59, died in an explosion at her home in the mainly loyalist Corcrain estate in Portadown in 1999.

Mr Justice Harte ordered Fulton to serve a minimum of 25 years.

His lawyers had argued at Belfast Crown Court that he should not serve more than 20 years because that was the longest term other paramilitary prisoners served during the Troubles.

Membership

He was also sentenced to 28 years for the attempted murder of four police officers during the Drumcree dispute in 1998.

His co-accused, Muriel Gibson, 57, with an address at Clos Trevithick in Cornwall, was sentenced to eight years for LVF membership and destroying evidence following the murder of Adrian Lamph in 1998.

Mr Lamph, a council worker, was murdered in April 1988.

Mrs O’Neill died after picking up a bomb which had been thrown at her home where she had been watching television.

Passing sentence on Fulton, the judge said: “His culpability for what happened is greater than anyone else involved in this episode and I propose to sentence him accordingly.

“This was a very grave crime with many aggravating features and I think the minimum period necessary to satisfy the requirements of retribution and deterrence before he can be considered for release is 25 years imprisonment.”

After the trial, Mrs O’Neill’s son Martin said although he was happy that justice had been done, those who made and threw the pipe bomb were still at large and should give themselves up.

The trial was the longest in Northern Ireland’s legal history.