IRA killer to apply for prison transfer
Irish News
**Via Newshound
By Allison Morris
06/05/08
CONVICTED killer Robert Duffy is expected to apply for a prison transfer from the Republic to Northern Ireland in order to avoid being extradited to serve out the remainder of his life sentence.
Duffy pleaded guilty to the attempted murder of Colin O’Neil at the Emerald Bar in Dundalk at Dublin’s Special Criminal Court last month and was ordered to serve a minimum of 15 years.
The former IRA man had been freed from prison in 2000 under the terms of the Good Friday Agreement having served four years of a life term for the 1993 murder of John Gibson.
Mr Gibson was shot dead by the IRA near his Newtownabbey home. The construction firm the father-of-one worked for had carried out contracts for the RUC. DNA linked Duffy to the scene.
Following his conviction in the Republic last month secretary of state Shaun Woodward suspended Duffy’s early release licence.
A decision on whether the convicted killer would be compelled to serve out the remainder of his life term in Northern Ireland following his release in the Republic has not yet been made.
However, Duffy is now expected to apply for transfer to Maghaberry prison in which case he can run both his jail terms concurrently –�avoiding having to serve additional jail time.
One of the criteria for transfer is that a prisoner must have family connections in the new jurisdiction.
Originally from Ligoniel in north Belfast Duffy meets the criteria for transfer. A final decision on the move will be made jointly by the Irish Department of Justice and the Northern Ireland Prison Service.
Six months after his early release under Good Friday Agreement terms, Duffy was also questioned by police in relation to the murder of taxi driver Trevor Kell (35).
Duffy had been living in exile in Dundalk when in March 2007 he became involved in a bar brawl with barman Colin O’Neil.
Duffy left the bar before returning with a shotgun which he fired at Mr O’Neil in an attack that was captured on CCTV.
