SAOIRSE32

Derry Journal
14 Dec 2007

A man arrested and questioned about the recent shooting of policeman Jim Doherty has accused the PSNI of acting like the ‘thought police’.

The man, who asked not to be identified, said he was arrested on Thursday morning last and taken to Antrim PSNI Station where he was told he was being held in connection with the attempted murder of the PSNI man.

He added: “I told them that I was at work that morning and that there was about 60 to 70 people who could tell them that. The best about it was that I don’t even work in Derry so I wasn’t even in the city when the shooting happened.

“They kept telling me that they had evidence to connect me to the shooting and, when they were asked to produce it, they said they would do so later but they never did. I have to say the whole thing was very vague and they never asked me anything concrete except to account for my movements which I did.”

He went on: “What I did find very disturbing was the stuff they took from my home and then questioned me about. They produced a copy of Bobby Sand’s Diary and they brought it in a forensic bag as if it was vital evidence. Then they produced two memory sticks from my children’s school work. I don’t think they even looked at them as one had my child’s Bebo stuff on it and the other was the other child’s project work.

“Again these were all wrapped up in plastic as if they were vital evidence. Then they produced another book in a plastic bag as if there was something wrong with reading about old republicans. They also took away all my mobile phones. I can only think it is to make my life as difficult as possible.”

The man went on: “I would describe myself as someone who might not agree with the current political direction but is it a crime now to hold a different opinion from other people? This really is the thought police when the books you read can be used against you. They also took away my car and this I believe was done to try and get me to lose my job.”

The man was held for two days before eventually being released without charge.

By Chris Thornton
Belfast Telegraph
Friday 14, December 2007

The Victims’ Commissioner’s appointment has become “a lawsuit waiting to happen”, an MLA claimed after First Minister Ian Paisley appeared to cast doubt over the first phase of recruitment.

Alliance deputy leader Naomi Long, who sits on the committee overseeing the First Ministers’ office, has called on Mr Paisley to clarify comments in the Assembly on Monday, when he said the delayed appointment, which has so far taken nearly a year, “did not stick to merit” at the beginning of the process.

The £65,000-a-year job has long been mired in controversy. A court case last year disclosed that the interim appointee to the job, Bertha McDougall, had been given her post by then Secretary of State Peter Hain as a political favour to Mr Paisley.

After her appointment was declared illegal, Mr Hain’s officials advertised for a permanent successor in January of this year.

Applicants were interviewed and a shortlist was handed to Mr Paisley and Martin McGuinness when they took up the First and Deputy First Ministers posts in May.

They sat on the appointment for five months, then announced in October that they were seeking fresh applications.

But they also said the candidates on the first shortlist would still be considered.

They say they hope to announce the appointment in the next 19 days.

Mr Paisley was questioned about the appointment in the Assembly on Monday.

He said they decided to re-advertise the job because “the people who would not have put forward their names under the last regime of direct rule will do so now and they have done so.

“I believe in merit and I regret that the beginning of the process did not stick to merit,” he added. “If it had stuck to merit, the facts that have been given by an honourable member today for investigation would not be before the House.”

Ms Long found his comments to be “… potentially deeply damaging to the important process of appointing a Victim’s Commissioner”.

She added: “By suggesting that the start of the process was anything other than merit-based, he has publicly undermined the credibility of those originally shortlisted and who remain in the pool of appointable candidates.

“If the process was so flawed, then why was it not abandoned and restarted? His comments also raise serious questions about previous briefings and answers given by him and his department which went to great lengths to assure people that the process prior to devolution was not flawed - a position he has now completely contradicted.

“This is an extremely serious matter. Not content with delaying the appointment in the first place, he has now potentially undermined the entire process,” she added.

An OFMDFM spokesman said: “We are in the middle of an appointments process and will not be commenting further.”

BBC
14 Dec 2007

More than 300 people have attended a meeting in south Armagh in support of the family of Paul Quinn.

Paul Quinn was beaten to death eight weeks ago

The 21-year-old was beaten to death by a group of men in a shed in County Monaghan eight weeks ago. His family has said IRA members were involved.

Three TDs and several councillors from the Republic travelled to Crossmaglen for the meeting on Thursday night.

A number of local Sinn Fein councillors also turned up and said they wanted those responsible brought to justice.

Declan Murphy, brother of the Sinn Fein MP for the area Conor Murphy, said the campaign was being manipulated for political reasons.

Members of the Irish parliament Seymour Crawford and Fergus O’Dowd of Fine Gael and Labour’s Liz Mc Manus also attended the meeting.

Mr Quinn’s family said the IRA killed the 21-year-old after he had defied an order to leave the country.

Sinn Fein denies any republican involvement. No-one has been charged with the murder.

A support group has said it expects the Irish minister for foreign affairs, Dermot Ahern, will meet the Quinn family early next week.

The group also plans to hold a number of meetings on both sides of the border early next year.