SAOIRSE32

HET vows to bring UVF tout’s notorious killer gang to book

By Stephen Breen
Sunday Life
24 August 2008

A top cop last night vowed to smash a notorious loyalist murder gang by declaring: “We’re going to crack this”.

In his first interview since the formation of the specialist team tasked with nailing Mark Haddock’s blood-thirsty Mount Vernon UVF unit, Historical Enquiries Team (HET) Director of Operations Steve Hobbs told Sunday Life how the net was closing in on the ruthless terror gang.

HET head Dave Cox

The former Metropolitan Police detective — who was due to retire before accepting an offer from PSNI Chief Constable Sir Hugh Orde to dismantle the serial killer’s gang — is the new unit’s Senior Investigating Officer.

And he has promised to use his 30-plus years experience of investigating murders in London in his team’s efforts to bring Haddock’s henchmen before the courts. The detective told how his team are re-investigating 19 murders, 14 attempted murders and 25 punishment shootings by the gang between 1991 and 2003.

But he also told how:

–Witnesses to crimes were coming forward.

–Experienced officers were using advanced forensic techniques.

–More arrests would be made.

–New criminal legislation would be used by his officers and how.

–The terror group’s victims were also coming forward.

Said the leading cold-case cop: “We’re going to get there. I know we will. This whole thing is unravelling and we are working from the outside in to bring these people to justice.

“Witnesses to crimes and victims of crimes committed by these people, who may have been afraid to speak out in the past, are now coming forward.

“For example, we intend to talk to people who escaped from this gang after they tried to kill them. We will be asking people who shot them.

“The crimes under investigation include sectarian murders, feud killings, punishment shootings and other serious crimes that these people were involved in.

“Our investigations are focused on forensic applications and there are a good number of cases we can progress because of the advances in science and technology.

“I could have been in retirement now, but I took an undertaking to bring these people to justice and I intent to fulfil it for the families who are paramount in our investigations.”

Although his team are dedicated to bringing down the “main players” of Haddock’s gang, Det Hobbs has also vowed to track down the UVF members who were on the “periphery” of the terror group.

Added the senior cop: “There are people who were on the fringes of this group and who may have helped planned serious crimes such as murder. If these people don’t come to us with information then we will go after them.

“But this investigation is about going after the major players who committed serious acts of crime over many years.

“Witness protection schemes are in place and people should not be afraid to come forward because we will protect them.

“We are positive of the government legislation we intend to use to bring these people before the courts and we also intend to link various crimes committed by these people since 1991. Our work is ongoing and we will continue to explore the full range of criminality committed by this group.”

Paul McKenna, whose Good Samaritan sister Sharon was murdered by Haddock’s gang in 1993, hopes to meet with the HET’s senior officer next month.

The Belfast man remains hopeful that the families of victims of Haddock’s gang will receive justice, adding: “I’ve met with Steve Hobbs and I do believe there is a will among his team to bring these people to justice. I just hope they’re allowed to do their job.

“Although my sister’s murder was before the Good Friday Agreement, I still believe that the people who killed her should be jailed.

“They may only do a short period of time for her murder, but if they are in jail for other offences then they could end up being behind bars for a long time.

“I was told a couple weeks ago that there would be arrests and this wouldn’t come as a surprise to me. The victims’ families will be meeting again with the HET to discuss the progress which has been made.

“We still deserve justice after all these years and we hope the HET can help us achieve this aim.”

The police unit was established after former Police Ombudsman Nuala O’Loan’s damning report into the 1997 murder of Raymond McCord Jnr.

The report — entitled ‘Operation Ballast’ — confirmed that Haddock was working as a Special Branch informer when dozens of murders where committed by his gang in the 1990s.

The investigation by the Police Ombudsman was only launched after a complaint was made by Raymond McCord Snr.

Mr McCord claimed Special Branch agents, including Haddock and other top gangsters, had a role in the murder of his son.

The report outlined how Haddock’s gang had participated in murder, attempted murder and punishment attacks.

Mr McCord last night welcomed the senior cop’s vow to bring more of Haddock’s thugs before the courts. Said the crusading dad: “I have 100% confidence in Det Hobbs’ team.

“The killers of my son and other victims should realise that they won’t get away with what they did over the years.”

Breaking News.ie
24/08/2008

The GAA should jointly honour Michael Collins and Eamon de Valera to help banish the “bitterness and poison” of the Civil War, former GAA president Sean Kelly said.

Mr Kelly said naming trophies, clubs, grounds or stands after both men would be a powerful gesture of unity and maturity by today’s society.

The Co Kerry native also told of how the memory of Collins helped inspire him as he steered the controversial Rule 42 through the GAA in 2005 to pave the way for soccer and rugby to be played at Croke Park.

Mr Kelly was speaking at the annual Beal na mBlath commemoration near Bandon in Co Cork.

Mr Kelly asked: “Why shouldn’t the GAA honour Collins and Dev now? It would become a powerful symbol of unity, a statement like the opening of Croke Park, that we are an inclusive, open and mature society and that the hatchet of the Civil War which has pierced the heart of this nation and almost all its citizens for generations, has been buried forever.

“A gesture like this from the GAA would do far more than all the talk in the world to advance the cause of Ireland for which Collins and Dev and all our patriots fought to achieve.”

Mr Kelly, who stepped down recently as executive chairman of the Irish Institute of Sport, was GAA president from 2003-2006.

He told today’s commemoration: “We must consign to the scrapheap any semblance of bitterness and poison that might still remain after the Civil War.

“We must realise that Collins and Dev had far more in common than divided them and that the politics of meanness, begrudgery and division do not serve the free Ireland that our forefathers fought to achieve.

“Collins always sought to look at the bigger picture.”

Mr Kelly said he hoped Croke Park will remain available to other sports even after Landsdowne Road is developed.

“I often took inspiration and spiritual guidance from the sacrifices of Collins and his colleagues. When the going got tough, Collins got going.”

The GAA was worried that a split would develop in the organisation over Rule 42.

“That split never occurred. That speaks volumes for the sincerity and commitment of those against opening Croke Park.

“They accepted the verdict of the majority and the GAA now stands more powerful, more respected and more united than ever before as a result.

“Their respect for the democratic vote of the members, despite how unpalatable it was to many of them, was a shining example of our maturity as a nation.”

By Stephen Breen
Sunday Life
Sunday, 24 August 2008

A Belfast-based loyalist defends his decision to link up with the extremist BNP.

Former Orangeman James Dowson, who runs Midas Consultancy, told Sunday Life that he had “no problem” providing senior members of the right-wing party with management training and marketing skills.

Scots-born Dowson, who is also a hardline anti-abortion campaigner, has been responsible for helping the BNP send letters to businesses throughout the UK in a bid to raise cash.

The loyalist, who makes regular trips to Northern Ireland, helped mastermind the party’s ‘Truth Truck’ campaign, which included lorries visiting towns in England to spread the BNP’s ‘nationalist message’.

And Dowson, who admitted coming from a “loyalist background”, claimed the BNP’s message would soon be coming to Northern Ireland.

He said: “I specialise in a business pool which includes Belfast and Scotland and I’m proud to describe myself as a loyalist and a unionist.

“A wide range of organisations come to us because we provide management training and marketing skills.

“When the BNP contacted us, I had no option but to work with them — it was an exciting business proposal.

“I understand the truth truck could soon be on its way to Northern Ireland, but that’s nothing to do with me.”

BNP leader Nick Griffin

Added Dowson: “The BNP are not an illegal organisation so why shouldn’t I work with them? I don’t think their members are involved in criminal activity.

“I have worked in Northern Ireland for a long time, but not for any proscribed organisations. The BNP is not a proscribed organisation.

“It would be wrong for me to pontificate about the views of the BNP and I honestly can’t think of anyone I wouldn’t work with.”

The link between the BNP and Dowson caused concern among anti-racism campaigners in the province.

Said one campaigner: “Dowson’s marketing plan is nothing more than a begging letter.

“The BNP is in very serious financial trouble and this is how they think they can get money.

“The BNP may not be illegal, but they articulate views which clearly motivate people to commit very serious attacks on minorities.”

Sunday Life revealed last year how Northern Ireland’s only Chinese politician slammed the BNP’s latest attempt at a recruitment drive in the province.

The right-wing party published a leaflet — entitled ‘What Now for Northern Ireland?’ — claiming the province was on its way to a “multi-cultural hellhole” and that towns her had become “dumping-grounds” for migrants.

But Alliance MLA Anna Lo said she was “disgusted” by the BNP’s intolerant language — and said the party was wasting its time in Northern Ireland “because people are not racist here”.

She added: “There is an element of inciting hatred. There is no attraction in Northern Ireland for this type of politics and I would discourage this party from coming over here. We have always had good race relations in Northern Ireland. There may be the odd incident, but that does not represent the majority of people here.”

In 2006, the BNP’s leader Nick Griffin was cleared by a court of stirring up racial hatred — a move that prompted then-chancellor Gordon Brown to consider changing Britain’s race laws.

sbreen@belfasttelegraph.co.uk

Portglenone man who works for victims’ group remanded in custody

By Stephen Breen
Sunday Life
Sunday, 24 August 2008

A former DUP councillor has been charged with the rape and the attempted rape of a young woman.

William Wilkinson of Tully Road, Portglenone, appeared at a special sitting of Ballymena Magistrates Court yesterday.

William Wilkinson

Wilkinson (31), who works for victims’ group Families Acting for Innocent Relatives (FAIR), is accused of committing the offences in the Co Antrim area last Thursday.

He confirmed in court that he understood the nature of the charges.

A PSNI officer she said believed she could connect him to the charges and asked for him to be remanded in custody.

The officer said police received a 999 call from a female during which the words “Get off me, get off me” could be heard and when they went to a house a woman said the accused had raped her.

The police officer said the woman was in a “very distressed state”.

In response to questions from a defence solicitor, the police officer confirmed Mr Wilkinson was interviewed six times since being arrested in the early hours of Thursday.

He denied the offences to police.

The defence solicitor told the court that in the light of “two different sides to the story” it would take time to resolve the issues, adding: “This entire episode has been extremely stressful.”

Remanding the councillor in custody, District Judge Alcorn said fears from the prosecution that the accused might attempt to get the injured party to withdraw her statement were valid.

Wilkinson was remanded in custody to appear at Coleraine Magistrates Court, via videolink, on September 15.

He left the DUP to join the Ulster Unionist Coalition Party (UUCP) after First Minister Ian Paisley’s decision to share power with Sinn Fein. Although Wilkinson failed to gain election to the Braid ward on Ballymena Borough Council at the last local government election, he joined the council in 2006 after winning a by-election.

An academic by profession, he was also tipped as a “rising star” in anti-power-sharing unionism and was present when FAIR’s Willie Frazer was arrested after gate-crashing talks between the governments and local parties at Leeds Castle.

Mr Frazer last night expressed his shock at the charges.

He said: “He has been working with me for about six years and this arrest has hit me like a sledgehammer.

“He is obviously innocent until proven guilty and we will be taking an interest in the case.

“I won’t be able to comment further until the case has been concluded.”

The ex-DUP member on Ballymena Council joined the UUCP, which was established by former Newtownabbey councillor Frazer Agnew in the 1990s, after the power-sharing arrangements at Stormont.

But he was expected to switch his allegiance to former senior DUP member Jim Allister’s Traditional Unionist Voice (TUV) party at next month’s council meeting.

A senior UUCP source said the party was “flabbergasted” by Wilkinson’s court appearance.

Said the source: “It’s hard to believe that a councillor has been charged with such a serious offence and we will have to wait and see what happens.”

sbreen@belfasttelegraph.co.uk

By Eddie Fitzmaurice
Sunday Life
Sunday, 24 August 2008

A former IRA prisoner has been barred from travelling to the US to promote a book critical of Sinn Fein.

Author Anthony McIntyre , who served 18 years in Long Kesh for the murder of a UVF member, was due to travel to New York shortly for a national book tour.

But his American publishers, Ausubo Press, last week revealed the State Department in Washington had refused numerous visa applications.

McIntyre resigned from Sinn Fein in protest at its signing of the Good Friday Agreement and went on to found a website opposed to the party’s leadership.

His new book — Good Friday: The Death of Irish Republicanism — is a collection of writings about events surrounding the signing of the Agreement.

Ausubo Press yesterday said they were astonished by the ban on McIntyre.

“We had no idea a simple book launch or a book tour in the states was not possible,” said a spokesman.

“It means US readers will be denied the opportunity to meet Mr McIntyre and learn first-hand about the situation in Northern Ireland. If Gerry Adams and Ian Paisley can travel to the US to discuss the ‘progress’ being made in Northern Ireland as a result of the Good Friday Agreement, why can’t Mr McIntyre?”

McIntyre was released from jail in 1992, having spent several years on the blanket protest, which started in 1976 when the IRA prisoner Kieran Nugent refused to wear prison uniform.

He went on to complete a PhD in republican history at Queen’s University and set up the Blanket website with his American-born wife.

The website, which offered a platform for republicans opposed to Sinn Fein’s involvement in the peace process, folded earlier this year after seven years and 25 million hits.

Ausubo boss William Cadiz said he hoped to organise a New York book launch, where McIntyre will speak via telephone or videolink.

The publishers said it was unlikely Mcintyre would be given a visa as long as George Bush was in the White House.

A spokesman said: “The refusal is based upon his felony conviction. As he is not a politician going to the US on ‘peace processing’ business, he does not get a waiver to entry despite his conviction, as other convicted IRA members have.

“He could apply again, but the likelihood of his being able to enter the States is slim to none, given both his record and the political climate.

“We expect the status quo to remain in place.”

Sunday Life
Sunday, 24 August 2008

THE Continuity IRA terror unit behind a mass murder bid in Fermanagh last weekend is comprised of just a dozen members.

Security sources say they know the identities of most of the renegade faction in the border county and stress it is a small group incapable of mounting a sustained terrorist campaign.

Cops examine the burnt-out getaway car following the Lisnaskea attack

However, police chiefs warn that the CIRA remains a serious threat and is determined to kill officers in the area in sporadic attacks.

They believe that the current Continuity IRA leader is based in Co Fermanagh and that he has ordered members to escalate their activities.

A source said: “It is lucky that many of the devices they have been using have failed to explode for various reasons. The real danger is they only have to succeed once.

“Until recently they had been largely only targeting commercial centres and police stations in Fermanagh with large devices, but have switched tactics to attempt to murder police officers.

“However, we are well aware of who is behind this and there is a hardcore of around a dozen members.”

Three police officers cheated death last Saturday night when a homemade rocket failed to detonate as it was aimed at their foot patrol on Lisnaskea’s Main Street.

Two officers were treated for shock and one for minor injuries when the improvised rocket-propelled grenade failed to explode.

Just two months earlier a police patrol escaped injury when a large landmine failed to explode in the Rosslea area of Fermanagh. The same bomb gang has been blamed.

On Monday PSNI Deputy Chief Constable Paul Leighton said the presence of semtex in the Lisnaskea device was “significant”.

The Czech-made explosive was given to the Provisional IRA by Libya in the 1980s and tonnes were smuggled into Ireland.

Security sources say that disaffected Provos removed some from arms dumps as early as 1986 when the IRA and Sinn Fein split as republicans voted to end abstention from the Dáil.

Contrary to news reports, last weekend was not the first time that the dissidents have used semtex. It has been found in scores of explosive devices over the past 14 years.

The Continuity IRA used semtex for the first time in December 1994 when it planted a 1kg semtex bomb outside an Enniskillen furniture store.

In December 2000 2lb of semtex was used in a booby trap bomb planted under a car in Lisnarick, Co Fermanagh.

The Real IRA used its own stashes of semtex in bombings and traces of the high explosive were found in the remains of the Omagh bomb 10 years ago.

As the semtex is quite old experts believe it could be unstable and nearing the end of its shelf life. This may explain why the rocket failed to detonate in Lisnaskea.

The bomb gang is headed by a number of veteran republicans who were previously involved with Sinn Fein before leaving the party in protest up to 20 years ago.

These same men were behind a huge 1,200lb jeep bomb which devastated the Killyhevlin Hotel in Enniskillen in July 1996. That was the first major attack carried out by the Continuity IRA in Northern Ireland.

Based around the Newtownbutler and Rosslea areas, the CIRA unit has been the attention of heavy security force activity.

The West Fermanagh Brigade was one of the units involved in the 1987 Enniskillen Poppy Day bombing which claimed 11 lives.

RTÉ
Sunday, 24 August 2008

Sinn Féin has warned it will collapse Northern Ireland’s government if policing and justice powers are not devolved to Stormont.

Republicans are involved in talks with the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) on the issue but today said they will pull Sinn Féin ministers out of government if there is no movement.

Sinn Féin TD Caoimhghin Ó Caoláin told supporters at a republican commemoration in Co Cavan that his party’s patience should not be tested.

‘If we are forced to conclude that change will not be forthcoming from the Executive then we will have no option but to pull out our ministers and seek to put pressure where responsibility ultimately lies, which is on the British government in London,’ he said.

The power-sharing government in Northern Ireland was established after the St Andrews talks which envisaged transfer of policing powers by May, but unionists ruled this out as being too early.

Sinn Fein first highlighted its growing frustration in June when it seemed poised to derail the election of DUP leader Peter Robinson as Northern Ireland First Minister when he took over from Ian Paisley.

After crisis talks involving Prime Minister Gordon Brown and the Government, the DUP and Sinn Féin committed themselves to intensive negotiations.

‘There is now widespread and growing concern among republicans at the failure to transfer policing and justice powers from London to Belfast in due time,’ Mr O Caolain said.

‘When Sinn Féin changed our policy on policing in the North, accepting that a new beginning was being made, it was with the prospect that policing and justice powers would be transferred by May of this year.’