SAOIRSE32

BBC
18 Sept 2008

Loyalist killer Michael Stone should be acquitted of trying to murder the Sinn Féin leaders as there is insufficient evidence, his defence lawyer has said.

Stone denies attempting to murder Gerry Adams and Martin McGuinness, as well as other explosive and weapons charges.

Orlando Pownall QC said he had not gone beyond “merely preparatory” acts.

Prosecution QC Charles Adair said Stone had completed his preparations, and all he had left to do was enter Stormont’s debating chamber to launch his attack.

Mr Pownall argued that although attempting the impossible does not necessarily mean a defendant is not guilty, in this case, given Stone’s physical condition and the fact that he still had to get past security, “his intended purpose was a purpose he could never have achieved as a matter of common-sense”.

He said he accepted the judge could find there was a “guilty intent” on Stone’s part, given what he had said during police interviews and in a letter to Belfast Telegraph journalist Lindy McDowell, where he claimed he planned to “slit the throats” of Mr Adams and Mr McGuinness.

‘Merely preparatory’

However, the London-based barrister added: “We would submit that purely as a matter of law… there is insufficient evidence, applying the act, for any tribunal of fact to conclude that the steps taken thus far were anything beyond merely preparatory.”

He said the defence team’s submission would be that Stone’s preparatory acts would have ended, and the actual offence of attempted murder begun, “if Mr Stone had entered the chamber and set light to one or more of the devices and/or gone towards Messrs Adams and McGuinness”.

On the charge of inflicting actual bodily harm on a female Stormont security guard who broke a bone in her hand while attempting to jam the revolving doors, Mr Pownall said she had behaved with “great courage” but Stone did not assault her.

‘Weaponry’

Prosecution barrister Charles Adair said Stone “had concluded for effective purposes, all the preparatory acts necessary apart from reaching the chamber”.

“He had constructed the weaponry, he had gone to the premises where the victims would be, he had entered the premises and got inside and the last act was to get to the chamber and throw one or other of the devices,” he said.

Mr Adair said “any rational person” would say that actually entering Parliament Buildings “is more than merely preparation for the act itself” and added that “the best way to ascertain his intentions is from his own mouth”.

Turning to the charge of actual bodily harm, Mr Adair said the authorities were clear that it did not matter if the injury was suffered indirectly but was as a result of the incident in general.

Mr Justice Deeney reserved his ruling and told the court he would deliver it on Friday.

Irish Times
Thursday, 18 Sept 2007

Police investigating terrorist activity in Northern Ireland tonight charged a man with a series of offences.

The 33-year-old will appear in court tomorrow to face charges of possession of explosives, manufacturing explosives, possession of ammunition and possession of items likely to be of use to terrorism.

The man was arrested by police on Sunday during a security force operation in the south Armagh village of Crossmaglen.

He will appear at Newry Magistrates’ Court tomorrow.

By David McKittrick
Independent.co.uk
19 September 2008

Stormont remained deadlocked last night, with Belfast’s power-sharing executive unable to meet because of continued wrangling between Sinn Fein and the loyalist Democratic Unionist Party (DUP).

Ministers from the four parties which make up the executive were all at Stormont, but Sinn Fein exercised its legal right to halt the scheduled meeting.

Gordon Brown with the DUP’s Peter Robinson (left) and Sinn Fein’s Martin McGuinness at Stormont this week

Instead, the three other parties – the DUP, the Ulster Unionists, and the Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) – met on an informal basis, as efforts went on behind the scenes to bridge the DUP-Sinn Fein gap which has prevented executive meetings taking place for several months.

Sinn Fein’s Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness got along famously with the former DUP leader Ian Paisley. But he has yet to establish any evident political rapport with his replacement, Peter Robinson, who took over in June.

Mr Robinson has taken a less jovial approach than Dr Paisley, causing Sinn Fein to question his party’s commitment to equality in government. The republicans want early movement on the devolution of policing powers to the Belfast administration, but Mr Robinson is resisting this.

Sinn Fein accuses him of doing so under pressure from hardline elements, both outside and within the DUP. Mr McGuinness declared: “There is a real responsibility to ensure that the tail that is wagging the DUP dog is put in its place.

“There is a responsibility to show leadership. We are absolutely convinced that there are people in the DUP, and indeed others, who are hostile to these institutions which Sinn Fein participate in.”

Although there is undoubtedly an impasse over executive meetings, the general sense at Stormont is of a roadblock rather than a crisis. Both the DUP and the republicans are strongly committed to keeping the executive going, and are unlikely to push this agreement to the point which might threaten it.

Lines of contact are being kept open, with frequent meetings taking place. Although the executive is not currently meeting, the departments are still functioning and can use various administrative techniques.

Mr Robinson confirmed this when he said: “Each of us, if there is not an executive meeting taking place, I think, will look to urgent procedures because we are not in the business of making people outside suffer. Others will have to answer for themselves.”

Other ministers complained that measures dealing with issues such as fuel poverty and suicide prevention could be handled better and more quickly if the executive were to meet.

From one perspective, Sinn Fein look isolated in the dispute, since the three other executive parties all want it to meet. But on the other hand, Gordon Brown, on a recent visit to Belfast, pleased the republicans by saying a timetable should be set for the transfer of policing. The Northern Ireland Secretary Shaun Woodward took a relaxed view of the dispute. “I am rather optimistic actually about how the politics is working here,” he said. “There is very clear evidence that on a number of issues; a number of policies, the political leaders are finding their way through very practical issues with practical solutions. Of course it is important that the Assembly meets, it is important that the executive meets, but the timing I believe is less important than the content and the engagement.”

The DUP was meanwhile heartened yesterday by its victory in a council by-election in Fermanagh. The party was so anxious to win the seat that it put forward as its candidate Arlene Foster, who is a minister in the executive.

A stalled transfer of power

May 2007: The Northern Ireland power-sharing executive is set up involving the four major Belfast parties, with DUP leader Ian Paisley and republican Martin McGuinness at its head.

February 2008: A council by-election brings a strong showing for Traditional Unionist Voice, a hardline loyalist grouping opposed to the power-sharing settlement. Mr Paisley’s son, Ian Paisley Jnr, resigns as a junior minister amid mounting criticism of his political and business contacts.

June onwards: DUP deputy leader Peter Robinson replaces Mr Paisley as First Minister. The DUP and Sinn Fein fail to agree on a series of issues including when policing powers will be transferred. Executive meetings stop.

September 2008: Gordon Brown visits Belfast to say the IRA is no longer a threat and that a date should be set for the transfer of policing. The DUP resists this. The Northern Ireland Executive was supposed to meet yesterday but the factions remained deadlocked.

BBC
17 Sept 2008

An explosives expert has said the bombs which loyalist killer Michael Stone had with him when he stormed Parliament Buildings in 2006 could have killed.

Dr Gerard Murray told the Crown lawyer at Stone’s trial that the devices had the potential to cause serious injury, “horrific” burns and even death.

Stone denies attempting to murder Gerry Adams and Martin McGuinness, as well as other explosive and weapons charges.

Dr Murray will be cross-examined by a defence lawyer on Thursday.

He described the construction of each device to the court, and said that had the nail bombs exploded they would have flung shrapnel “in various directions”.

The flight bag which contained a bundle of firework rockets taped to bottles of petrol containing chunks of fire lighters and a gas canister would have caused a “fireball”.

When Dr Murray was asked if the devices could have killed, he replied: “Yes, in certain circumstances the potential is there to cause death.”

By Emily Moulton
Belfast Telegraph
17 September 2008

Prominent loyalist leaders including UDA boss Jackie McDonald and UPRG representative Frankie Gallagher are expected to speak at a west Belfast GAA club tonight as part of a special cross-community event.

The panel discussion, which involves leaders from both communities, is said to have been organised by Standing Northern Ireland Peace Process, a group set up to explore new ways for divided communities to build links.

The presence of McDonald — the so-called brigadier of the South Belfast wing of the loyalist paramilitary group — and other loyalist leaders is considered to be a significant step in building relations with republican and nationalist communities.

This is the first time an event involving such high profile leaders will take place at a west Belfast GAA club.

Jim Auld, head of Community Restorative Justice Ireland, who is one of the republican representatives invited to speak at the meeting tonight, said he viewed the development as a very positive step.

“It’s my understanding that Jackie McDonald and Frankie Gallagher will be coming to speak,” he told the Belfast Telegraph.

“There are a number of people that I know that have been invited and it is my understanding that it will be an opportunity for Jackie McDonald and some of his friends to speak to people from nationalist communities.

“I think it’s a very positive thing in terms of restorative justice.

“The nationalist community has a lot to offer the unionist community in terms of community development.

“But I don’t think it is a one way process. I think it needs to be the two communities offering the same opportunities to speak to each other. I think that will happen, I hope that will happen.

“I think that anybody who is going along tonight will be going with a positive perspective on things.”

It is understood nationalist community worker Jim McCorry and Ulster Political Research Group Colin Halliday will chair the event, while Gerry Ruddy of the IRSP will also take part in the panel discussion.

Mr Auld said he expected most of tonight’s discussion to revolve around both sides acknowledging the past but also looking at ways to move forwards.

“I think there needs to be an acknowledgment on all sides that things were done in the past but we need to look at how to move forward too,” he said.

“I am an optimistic man and I think there are a number of people working on new ideas all the time for ways to move forward, this is just one of them.”

Tonight’s meeting is expected to be held at the Sarsfield Gaelic Athletics Club in Andersonstown at 7pm.

Breaking News.ie
Wednesday September 17 2008

A crunch meeting of Northern Ireland’s cabinet scheduled for tomorrow looks set to be cancelled.

A public row between Sinn Fein and the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) broke out tonight at the same time as they are involved in private talks to end their long-running dispute.

Meanwhile there was speculation that unionist and nationalist cabinet members may meet without Sinn Fein ministers tomorrow if the planned session of the full Executive does not go ahead.

Northern Ireland’s government ministers have not met since June as a result of the stand-off between the DUP and Sinn Fein over the transfer of policing and Justice powers to Stormont.

Republicans are frustrated at the unionist delay in introducing the powers and have effectively blocked Executive meetings as a result.

Tonight Sinn Fein’s Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness wrote to the DUP leader and First Minister Peter Robinson seeking support for the emergency passage of fuel poverty measures if tomorrow’s cabinet meeting is cancelled.

But within minutes a letter emerged from Mr Robinson who dismissed the plan as being a breach of procedures.

“I welcome your recognition that this issue should be given urgent consideration and merits wider Executive discussion,'’ said Mr Robinson.

“It is therefore essential that tomorrow’s scheduled meeting proceeds as planned.'’

Ulster Unionist leader and Employment Minister Reg Empey, meanwhile, signalled that if the cabinet meeting was called off he would be open to holding a ministerial meeting without Sinn Fein.