SAOIRSE32

BBC
16 April 2008

Six people have been arrested by detectives investigating dissident republican activity in the Belfast area, it is understood.

The arrests were made under the Terrorism Act, police said.

A number of items seized during searches in the greater Belfast area are being tested by forensics experts.

In a separate incident, two people have been arrested in the city in connection with drugs offences.

Irish News
**Via Newshound
By Barry McCaffrey
14/04/08

THE family of a west Belfast man shot dead by the Real IRA are demanding a full investigation into claims that at least two informers linked to his death are being protected by police.

Father-of-six Danny McGurk was shot dead in front of his wife and children by a Real IRA gang in August 2003.

The 35-year-old was murdered after an altercation with dissident republicans.

However the McGurk family say that new evidence has emerged linking at least two police informers with the killing.

“We want to know the truth about Danny’s murder because we have evidence that at least two informers are being protected by the PSNI,” Danny McGurk’s sister Geraldine said.

“Last year the Real IRA admitted to us that at least one of the three people involved in Danny’s murder was an informer.”

In 2003 one of the weapons used in the McGurk murder was recovered after police stopped a car in Co Derry.

Although one man and two women in the car were arrested, none of them were questioned about Danny McGurk’s murder and weap-ons charges against them were later dropped.

Geraldine McGurk called on one of those arrested in the car, former dissident republican John Brady, to disclose any information he may possess relating to her brother’s murder.

Brady, who had been released under the Good Friday Agreement after being sentenced for the murder of an RUC man in 1991, had his licence revoked after the Derry arrests and is now applying to the Life Sentence Review Commission for release.

His solicitor Peter Corrigan said Brady had severed all links with dissident republicans and had never been questioned in connection with the 35-year-old’s murder.

He said Brady fully supported the McGurk family in their efforts to have the murder properly investigated.

Both Sinn Fein and SDLP politicians have supported calls for Brady’s release.

Pointing to the torment that her family had suffered since her brother’s murder, Geraldine McGurk said: “My father died shortly after Danny’s murder and two of my brothers died prematurely as a result of it.

“We want to know why there was no proper investigation of Danny’s murder and why no one has ever been brought to justice, despite two informers being linked to the killing.

“We will not rest until we get to the truth.”

Responding to the McGurks claims, a police spokesman said: “This case will be re-examined by the PSNI Retrospective Murder Review unit.

“All new information will be considered by this unit and where possible further investigations will be carried out.”

Irish News
**Via Newshound
15/04/08

Lawyers for men being sued by relatives of Omagh bomb victims failed yesterday in a bid to have all evidence from the PSNI banned from the landmark case.

The challenge came as the second week of the multi-million pound civil action against five dissident republicans got under way at the High Court in Belfast.

Mary Higgins QC, appearing for Colm Murphy and Seamus Daly, claimed their right to a fair trial was threatened by the level of assistance police had given to the families seeking damages from the men they hold accountable for the Real IRA atrocity.

But Mr Justice Morgan, who is hearing the non-jury case, refused her application after describing its timing – just as day five of the trial was about to begin – as “outrageous”.

The judge said without any legal authorities to back the claims it was impossible to rule in favour of the defendants.

Ms Higgins had urged him to exclude evidence from the PSNI because it allegedly breached the rule of law.

“It’s unprecedented for police to provide internal reports to a plaintiff, [and] to provide evidence they obtained whether through RIPA [the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act] or for the purposes of criminal investigations,” she said.

The barrister argued that if the defendants have access to police material in the same way attempts could have been made to find material which aided their case.

“It’s important to ensure the appearance of justice and avoid any perception that the state is supporting this case in which the plaintiffs seek to establish a new way of fighting

terrorists, fighting them through the courts, pursuing them for the rest of their lives, taking whatever they have away from them,” she said.

Murphy and Daly are being sued alongside convicted Real IRA chief Michael McKevitt, Seamus McKenna and Liam Campbell over their alleged responsibility for the August 1998 atrocity. All five deny responsibility.

Meanwhile, an expert

in telecommunication cell site analysis identified

20 calls made from four mobile phones between Co Louth and Omagh on the day of the bombing.

Detailed evidence supplied by Peter Uglow traced the routes taken by the phones – two of which were described as the Murphy and Daly phones.

Dermott Fee QC, also appearing for Murphy and Daly, questioned the source of some of Mr Uglow’s evidence, provoking a terse response from families’ senior lawyer.

Lord Brennan QC told the court: “Putting it bluntly, are we supposed to produce a Noddy’s guide to data that forms an expert’s opinion? It’s a shocking state of affairs in a case of this gravity.”

MONDAY 14/04/2008 15:14:36
:::u.tv:::

The Billy Wright inquiry has been dramatically halted.

The request to adjourn proceedings was made by Counsel for the inquiry this morning.

It was adjourned after the Crown Solicitors Office withdrew legal representation from Duncan McLaughlin, the former Governor of Maghaberry Prison.

It is understood Mr McLaughlin produced new documentation to his legal representatives yesterday afternoon.

The information has been described as significant and may lead to the recall of witnesses who have already given evidence.

The inquiry chairman Lord MacLean said the new information will be fully investigated.

Counsel for the Wright family said the development was outrageous. The hearing is due to resume on Wednesday.

By Chris Thornton
Belfast Telegraph
Wednesday 16, April 2008

The bomber who killed Rosemary Nelson planted the device within hours of the solicitor returning from a family holiday in Donegal, the inquiry into her murder heard yesterday.

At the opening of full hearings into the Lurgan lawyer’s death, Rory Phillips QC said the inquiry would examine “very troubling suggestions” about the 1999 murder.

Those included security force activity around the family home in Ashgrove Grange the night before the killing, when Mrs Nelson had returned from a short caravan break with her husband, Paul, her daughter and her friend, the then Sinn Fein MLA Dara O’Hagan.

Mr Phillips, the counsel for the inquiry, said the Nelson family drove back from Donegal in the car which would explode the next day as Mrs Nelson went to work - meaning the bomber had placed the device underneath it shortly after they returned.

Mrs Nelson, a 40-year-old mother of three, died when a bomb exploded in her car as she drove to work from her home in March 1999.

Her widower and other family members - including her mother, brothers and sister - attended the opening hearing at the Interpoint Centre in Belfast.

Mr Phillips told the hearing in Belfast that the allegations the inquiry would examine include the possibility of “the state’s involvement in the murder of one of the state’s own citizens”.

“The claims and counterclaims have had no public airing until now,” he said.

“There has been no hearing. No public investigation of what happened has ever taken place.

“There have been no answers and no calling to account and nobody has been made answerable.”

Mr Phillips said the attack on the solicitor “had an impact and an effect far beyond the confines of her home town”, noting that President Bill Clinton, Prime Minister Tony Blair and Taoiseach Bertie Ahern condemned the murder in a joint statement.

The QC said it was “absolutely plain” that Mrs Nelson was the focus of hatred.

He said it was striking that the fact of her murder had been foretold ” not least by her”.

“What happened to Rosemary Nelson was, in a sense, no more than the dreadful fulfilment of death threats which she had spoken about privately and publicly in the months and years before her death,” he said.

Mr Phillips said the inquiry will look into issues leading up to the murder - including the threats against her - and then examine the police investigation of the killing. He said a large amount of allegations about intimidation against Mrs Nelson involve police officers. The inquiry will look at how those allegations were handled by the RUC and NIO.

“When is a threat to life to be properly addressed as a complaint and only a complaint?” the QC asked.

He said the inquiry would look at what the police and NIO knew “about Rosemary Nelson, what was happening to her and about concerns that were being expressed about her personal safety”.

The inquiry, which was established in 2005, cost £25m before the opening of full hearings.

The head of MI5 at the time of her murder will be among the witnesses called to give evidence. Mr Phillips said witness statements have been taken from 30 police officers up to the rank of assistant chief constable, 19 MI5 intelligence officers and eight senior army intelligence officers.

By Kathryn Torney
Belfast Telegraph
Wednesday 16, April 2008

Sinn Fein was today accused of “declaring war” on grammar schools after a confidential party paper obtained by the Belfast Telegraph revealed that it is considering bypassing the Assembly to introduce a controversial new school transfer system in place of the 11-plus.

The leaked Sinn Fein briefing paper was passed to this newspaper by Basil McCrea, education spokesman for the Ulster Unionist party, and outlines the possibility of new admissions criteria being issued to schools by Education Minister Caitriona Ruane in the form of ‘guidance’.

This would not include academic selection as an option.

Any grammar school which ignores the guidelines and continues to select pupils based on their academic ability would have to finance their own entrance tests and any appeals which result from this.

Speaking exclusively to the Belfast Telegraph, Ulster Unionist leader Sir Reg Empey said he would withdraw his department officials from a new process to plan for schools on a regional basis if the Executive does not quickly determine a joint position on education.

The Employment and Learning Minister said: “The Minister is just intending to do her own thing and I am not prepared to lend my name to a process which is drifting us into what I believe is a disastrous situation for the future of our schools.”

Mr McCrea also warned today that the DUP proposal to limit access to grammar schools to only pupils who reach a high academic standard could reduce grammar school places by a third.

Sinn Fein has confirmed that the document - dated April 7, 2008 - was prepared by Assembly staff for a party meeting of elected councillors and Assembly members in Co Tyrone.

Party education spokesman Paul Butler said: “This is a briefing paper outlining the factual position relating to post-primary transfer at this time.

“It is no secret that the Minister Caitriona Ruane has sought to achieve the maximum consensus among stakeholders, educationalists and political parties on the way forward. She is currently concluding this process.

“When this happens the Minister will bring forward detailed proposals on the way forward

within the framework set out in her December statement to the Assembly.”

Mr McCrea continued: “The Sinn Fein paper shows that the party intends to use the Department of Education’s power with existing legislation to force schools to come into line.”

The DUP’s education spokesman Sammy Wilson said that Sinn Fein was ” declaring war” on grammar schools.

“Schools will not be surprised that they have to pay for their own tests but it seems a bit odd to me that the Minister would consider abdicating responsibility for the transfer of one section of the school population to post-primary schools.

“As Reg Empey has indicated, two can play at this game,” he said.

“The Minister could find others imposing sanctions on her if she goes down this road and that could include funding allocated for transfer being taken away from the department.”

Mr Wilson added that it was his view that grammar school places would be reduced by a sixth under his party’s proposals.

Up to 30 grammar schools are currently considering signing up to a common entrance test for pupils.

Sir Kenneth Bloomfield, from the grammar school group the Association for Quality Education, said: “We have already accepted that reality that the government was not going to pay for a private test.

“The only way out of this impasse may be to let people do their own thing - as long as schools wanting to retain academic selection can do so.

“This is an issue which could divide the Assembly so people are going to have to think constructively.”

The Department of Education declined to comment on the Sinn Fein document or confirm if it had carried out any work on admissions criteria guidelines.

Belfast Telegraph
Wednesday 16, April 2008
By Lesley-Anne Henry

**My apologies for not keeping up with the news better lately due to personal issues. I hope to catch up and do better shortly.

The FBI has forbidden an agent who infiltrated the Real IRA from giving evidence at a civil action being brought by relatives of the Omagh victims, a Belfast court heard yesterday.

Families for six of the 29 people killed in the 1998 atrocity wish to submit transcripts of evidence from spy, David Rupert, as part of their landmark case.

Mr Rupert, who is now in a witness protection programme, testified against Real IRA godfather, Michael McKevitt, during his trial in Dublin in 2003.

His evidence was regarded as valuable in securing a guilty verdict and McKevitt is now serving a 20 year term in Portlaoise Prison.

The families are suing five men - Michael McKevitt, Liam Campbell, Colm Murphy, Seamus Daly and Seamus McKenna - for £14 million exemplary damages. All five deny any part in the mass murder.

During day six of the multi- million pound civil case a barrister acting for McKevitt said he understood that the FBI had simply “vetoed” any appearance by Rupert in Belfast.

Submissions on Rupert’s evidence are due to be heard next week and if Mr Justice Morgan admits the series of emails then the Michael O’Higgins SC said he would be seeking an explanation as to why Rupert was not appearing in court.

Mr O’Higgins then said the material would be trawled for deficiencies which he claimed were “many and varied”.

He said: “When we deal with admissibility, one of the issues we deal with is why Mr Rupert isn’t here. I mean in the wider sense - on the television and not necessarily in the witness box.

“The court needs an explanation. We do not regard an explanation from the well of the court as to why Mr Rupert isn’t in the court.

“Our understanding is that the court made an order that his evidence could be given by video- link. That appears to have been abandoned in the opening. We don’t necessarily know the reasoning for that but our understanding is the FBI simply vetoed it.”

If Rupert’s evidence is admitted then Mr O’Higgins said the defendants’ legal teams would want “live witnesses” who could explain his absence and who could be cross-examined.

Meanwhile, earlier yesterday a telecommunications expert told the court that the probe into the Omagh bomb had been the biggest investigation in which he had ever been involved.

Raymond Green, a former fraud and crime investigator with mobile phone giant Vodafone said his staff spent “two or three months” trawling the records of four mobile phone numbers given to them by the RUC.

The cell site analysis was given to the police on phones identified in court as belonging to people named Murphy, Morgan, Treanor and Brady, and released under the Data Protection Act.

Mr Green, who worked with Vodafone for nine years, described his efforts to assist the RUC and Gardai as “very significant”.

He told the court that in November 1998 the RUC requested information on calls made to and from four mobile phones, including dates, times and the duration of the calls made from the phones.

None of the families were in court yesterday.

The civil action is regarded as their final hope for justice.