SAOIRSE32

BBC

A court has heard a man accused of the Michael McIlveen murder told police he tried to get rid of the murder weapon due to loyalist paramilitary threats.

The jury at Antrim Crown Court heard interviews with Christopher Francis Kerr, 22, of Carnduff Drive, Ballymena.

In them, he said he had asked two people to collect a baseball bat from his bedroom and “get rid of it, to do something with it.”

Mr Kerr said he had witnessed the murder, but had not attacked Michael.

It is alleged that one of the people sent to pick up the bat is a juvenile, who is also also charged with the murder of the Catholic schoolboy, but cannot be named because of his age.

The police had already arrived at Kerr’s home, before anyone was able to get the bat.

The defendant told police that during the attack on the 15-year-old in an alleyway close to Ballymena’s town centre he stood “three or four feet away from” Michael and that as the schoolboy was trying to get up “he was hit by a baseball bat”.

Mervyn Wilson Moon, 20, from Douglas Terrace in Ballymena, has already pleaded guilty to murder. He will be sentenced at the end of the trial.

The jury heard that Mr Kerr also told police that he saw a co-defendant, 19-year-old Jeff Colin Lewis, of Rossdale in Ballymena, kicking the victim.

Catholic schoolboy

Mr Kerr also named the juvenile as being involved in the kicking.

The jury heard the first of a number of interviews with Aaron Cavana Wallace, 20, from Moat Road in Ballymena.

He said he had gone to a cinema in Ballymena with the juvenile, Kerr, and two other co-accused - 18-year-old Christopher Andrew McLeister, from Knockeen Crescent in Ballymena, who is charged with murder, and Paul Edward David Henson, also 18, from Condiere Avenue, Connor, Ballymena, who is charged with criminal damage and affray.

Mr Wallace told police he saw the deceased and two friends arrive at the cinema and that Mr Kerr had gone over to speak to him.

After that, he said an argument started “just about Catholics being there” but he could not remember who was involved in it, who was shouting or what was being shouted.

The court heard Mr Wallace told police he saw Michael and another friend running away and that the crowd ran after them. He also said he heard the Catholic schoolboy shouting “care bear (the nickname for Mr Kerr), I thought you were a friend.”

Mr Wallace admitted running with the crowd after the two boys, but only, because “I wasn’t going to stand by myself”.

He told an investigating officer that once he got to the alleyway where Michael McIlveen was attacked he saw a fight break out and saw “Michael falling to the ground”.

“I didn’t do one thing… I wasn’t chasing them,” he added.

At hearing.

Derry Journal
09 December 2008

Leading Strabane IRSP man Willie Gallagher is being questioned by police investigating the murder of nightclub doorman, Bryan McGlynn, in Derry last year.

It is believed Mr Gallagher was arrested during a raid at his home in the Co Tyrone town early this morning.

A PSNI spokesman said that a 50-year-old man had been taken to the serious crime suite at Antrim PSNI station where he is being questioned about the murder.

Mr McGlynn, a 28 year-old nightclub bouncer who was originally from Strabane, was shot dead in front of his girlfriend in his Fountain Hill home in the early hours of Sunday, 3rd June 2007.

Shortly after the killing, the INLA admitted responsibility.

To date no-one has been charged in connection with the murder.

Breaking News.ie
10/12/2008

The Special Criminal Court in Dublin was today shown a video of three masked men, including one carrying an AK 47 rifle, who told BBC journalists they were the Real IRA and “capable of waging war against the British state.”

The court was told the interview was carried out by BBC ‘Spotlight’ and ‘Panorama’ journalists at a house in the Creggan area of Derry the night before four men were arrested by gardaí near Bridgend in Co Donegal.

A Detective Garda identified two men photographed standing in a doorway while the interview was going on as two of the four Derry men accused of IRA membership.

Detective Garda Kevin Moriarty identified Gary Donnelly and Martin Francis O’Neill as the two unmasked men seen in photos printed from a camera memory card.

The four Derry City men on trial are Gary Donnelly (aged 38), Kildrum Gardens, Michael Gallagher (aged 28), Sackville Court, Martin Francis O’Neill (aged 40), Colmcille Court, and Patrick John McDaid (aged 38), Marlborough St.

They have pleaded not guilty to membership of an unlawful organisation styling itself the Irish Republican Army, otherwise Oghlaigh na hÉireann, otherwise the IRA, on March 16.

The three judge non-jury court watched 25 minutes of a 52-minute film taken last March. In the video, three men are seen wearing balaclavas, combat jackets and gloves. Two of the men are seated at a table and one stands behind them carrying an AK 47 assault rifle.

One of the men seated at the table tells a man who identifies himself as working for ‘Spotlight’ that they are “representatives of the leadership of Oglaigh na hÉireann.”

When asked if they are the Real IRA, the man says: “Real IRA is a media term. We refer to ourselves as Oglaigh na hÉireann.”

The man tells the journalists that “there are sufficient volunteers to fulfil every obligation we have at the present” and adds:”We are attracting a lot of new people. More and more people realise we were sold a pup.”

The masked man is heard to say that his organisation has “ a certain amount of explosive.’’ He says: “Our aim is to attack British interests in Ireland” and adds that they have a wide range of targets, including the media.

When pressed by the journalist if the media are a target, the man says: “There are some papers that promote or advertise the RUC (sic.).”

By Scott Jamison
Belfast Media
South Belfast News

There has been widespread condemnation of those responsible for leaving four blast bombs in South Belfast last week.

Last Tuesday (December 2), the devices, which were described as viable, were found by army technical officers at a site just off Bentham Drive in Sandy Row. A controlled explosion was carried out at the scene.

The area is close to a BMX track, nursery school and children’s play area.

South Belfast commander, Chief Inspector Trevor O’Neill, said the devices were linked to loyalist paramilitaries.

Local UUP councillor Bob Stoker said he was “absolutely disgusted” by the find.

“I think it is irresponsible that anybody would jeopardise the health and safety of anyone, much less the children and elderly people who use the area quite regularly.

“Every group is denying they belonged to them, but somebody had to leave them there.”

Mr Stoker rejected the idea the blast bombs were left as part of a loyalist attempt to decommission weaponry.

“If that was indeed the case, there is a process they can go through to ensure anything is safely disposed of. All they have to do is pick up a phone and tell the police where they are instead of just leaving devices lying there.”

Sinn Féin MLA Alex Maskey said the PSNI need to state “very clearly” who was behind the manufacturing and use of the pipe bombs.

“This finding of these pipe bombs beside a playground is a matter of serious concern. This is not the first find of pipe bombs in this area or indeed loyalist areas in general over the past weeks.

“I have raised the issue of the use of such devices at the Policing Board after a pipe bomb was put through the letter box of a Romanian living in South Belfast.

“The PSNI need to inform the public very clearly who exactly is behind these devices and say if there a pattern behind any attacks or bomb finds.

“The threat from these devices are very real and they can kill. We need to see action taken before somebody is seriously wounded or a life is lost.”

A police spokesperson said anyone who noticed anything suspicious, particularly if they saw someone carrying a blue holdall, should contact them on 0845 600 8000.

Derry Journal
10 December 2008

Police have issued a reminder to retailers, business owners and retail parks in Derry to regularly check their premises for incendiary devices.

Head of Crime Prevention, Inspector David Connery, explained: “At this busy time of year, we are urging all retailers to be vigilant and on the look-out for anything suspicious.

“Incendiary devices can be left anywhere that can catch fire easily, in garments, soft furnishings and upholstery. They have the potential to destroy property and take human life.

“If something looks out of place, or even just raises concern, contact your local police. Never touch or attempt to move any suspicious looking objects - contact police immediately.”

Mr Connery has also advised business owners and managers to review security measures and check premises thoroughly both during and after trading. “An extra few minutes could make the difference - vigilance is the key,” he said.

PSNI Crime Prevention Officers are visiting businesses and retailers with safety leaflets and posters.

Irish News
09/12/08

CONVICTED terror chief Michael McKevitt is to delay his defence in the Omagh bomb civil action until an IRA informer gives evidence against him.

Lawyers for McKevitt (58, were due to begin attempts this week to counter allegations that he was among five men responsible for the atrocity which killed 29 people and unborn twins.

Those plans have been put on hold until after Sean O’Callaghan, a former republican jailed for two murders, testifies at the High Court trial in Belfast.

O’Callaghan is due to be called next month to try to prove a series of claims he has made against McKevitt.

One of these involves allegations that the pair attended a meeting with other senior Provisionals in the mid-1980s to discuss buying deer-hunting rifles to kill soldiers and

police officers.

O’Callaghan, a special branch agent who says he was once in charge of the IRA’s southern command, is also to be questioned about his claims that he issued instructions for McKevitt to stop taking vehicles from a Provisional IRA car pool without permission.

A further issue which lawyers for the Omagh victims families have been given permission to explore with him centres on allegations that a former IRA chief of staff told him he wanted McKevitt voted onto the paramilitary organisation’s executive.

O’Callaghan, originally from Tralee, Co Kerry, but now living in London, was sentenced to two life terms and 529 years’ imprisonment for terrorist offences including the murders of a soldier and police officer. He was later released from prison under a royal prerogative.

His evidence, based on a statement submitted to the court, will result in the multi-million pound compensation case which opened in April stretching into the new year.

McKevitt is being sued along with Liam Campbell, Seamus McKenna, Colm Murphy and Seamus Daly.

All five men deny responsibility for the August 1998 Real IRA attack which resulted in the worst single massacre of the Northern Ireland conflict.

McKevitt has been instructing his legal team from the

Republic’s high-security Portlaoise Jail where he is serving a 20-year sentence for directing terrorism.

Video-link facilities have been installed in his cell to allow him to follow proceedings in Belfast.

DEMILITARISATION: British military downgrades status

By Allison Morris
Irish News
09/12/08

THE departure of the British army’s general officer commanding (GOC), Major General Chris Brown, from Northern Ireland will bring to an end almost 40 years of British military history.

The arrival of the first army GOC in 1969 was intended as a temporary measure.

Second World War veteran Ian Freeland was stationed in Northern Ireland for the first three bloody years of Operation Banner.

Under his command the British army very quickly lost the battle for the ‘hearts and minds’ of the nationalist population.

Over the following months and years relations between the army and nationalists deteriorated further – most notably with the introduction of ‘Operation Demetrius’ the army’s code name for internment without trial, and the human-rights abuses against detainees who later became known as the hooded men.

In July last year the army announced the end of Operation Banner, its longest military campaign.

However, the status of the army in Northern Ireland continued, with back-up capability to the police in the event of public disorder and the retention of a GOC to oversee any such reengagement.

That will change in the new year with the the departure of General Brown, the last GOC.

Under the leadership of previous GOCs almost 300,000 British soldiers have served in Northern Ireland with 763 military personal having been killed – including more than 400 by the IRA.

The army itself was directly responsible for the deaths of 301 people, 158 of those unarmed civilians, both Protestant and Catholic.

Indirectly it was accused of collusion with loyalist paramilitaries, with one army agent, Brian Nelson, almost single-handedly having armed a modern loyalist militia.

The first GOC, Ian Freeland, was a seasoned soldier, a veteran of a number of major campaigns. But he failed to foresee that the northern campaign would last almost four decades.

Speaking at a temporary security checkpoint in Ardoyne in north Belfast in 1969 he said: “The peace line will be a very, very temporary affair.

“We will not have a Berlin Wall or anything like that in this city.”

One year later troop levels reached a high of 7,000.

By February 1971 it was reported that the stresses of the top job were taking their toll on General Freeland and he requested he be allowed to step down from the post.

His replacement, Eton-educated Sir Vernon Crum, was appointed GOC on February 4 1971.

But the stress of the post proved too much for him also – he suffered a heart attack after just 12 days in charge and died a month later, aged just 53.

The next incumbent oversaw a huge escalation in deaths and one of the bloodiest periods in the north’s history.

Harry Tuzo was born in India, the son of a British army officer. He served as GOC from March 1971 to February 1973 and quickly became top of the IRA’s ‘most wanted’ list.

It was on General Tuzo’s watch that 30,000 troops complete with Centurion tanks would be sent into Belfast and Derry in what was known as ‘Operation Motorman’.

In 1970 28 people died as a direct result of the Troubles; by the end of 1971 180 people had lost their lives, 94 of them civilians.

General Tuzo relinquished power to Lieutenant General Sir Frank King in February 1973 as the violence continued.

The period from 1977 to 1980 saw an increase in street violence as the prison protests raged in Long Kesh and Armagh jails – and a corresponding military escalation.

It was at this time hardline military commander Timothy Creasey took over as GOC.

A one time commander of the Sultan of Oman’s armed forces, General Creasey publicly stated that a military solution could be found in the north with aggressive tactics previously used by the British in the colonies.

In 1979 when 18 soldiers were killed in an IRA ambush he demanded that the army be allowed to take over control of policing.

He was replaced in 1980 by Richard Lawson, who led the British army during the deaths of 10 republican prisoners during the Hunger Strike in Long Kesh.

The last GOC, General Brown, who took over from Lieutenant General Nicholas Parker in August last year, has had a much less eventful period of command.

Irish News
09/12/08

THE skull of murdered Ballymena schoolboy Mich-ael McIlveen was fractured on both sides which formed a blood clot and multiple bruising of the brain, a court has heard.

Northern Ireland’s deputy state pathologist Dr Alistair Bentley also told Antrim Crown Court that “the nature of the fractures shows at least one blow to both sides from a blunt weapon.”

However, he added that he would “find it very surprising” if the 15-year-old schoolboy had been kicked more than 60 times as claimed by at least one witness to the brutal attack in a back alleyway in Ballymena.

Dr Bentley told the trial of six young Ballymena youths facing charges arising out of the killing of Michael, who died in hospital on May 8, 2006, the day after the attack, that his postmortem examination found “no marks consistent with that number of kicks.”

The pathologist said he had also found a small number of bruises, abrasions and grazes on the victim’s head, but that the main injuries were two separate fractures to the skull, one on each side.

This had caused a blood clot to form on the left side of the brain, while on the right the skull bone was “slightly pushed inwards”, and that there was “multiple bruising to the brain on both sides”.

He also noted that apart from a “penetrating injury” on the schoolboy’s left hand and a bruise on his back, he found no other bruises or cuts, save for others associated with old injuries or from medical treatment.

Dr Bentley also revealed that while the teenager had a blood-alcohol reading 10mls above the drink-driving limit, this was “unlikely to produce anything other than a mild degree of intoxication”.

Later under cross-examination by defence lawyer Richard Weir, the deputy state pathologist agreed that the fractures were “consistently similar” and could have been caused by the same object.

However, while he agreed that it was “a strong possibility” that the “perfect explanation” for the fractures “is a baseball bat”, Dr Bentley added that “kicking and stamping cannot be completely excluded”.

The pathologist also revealed that an injury to the top of Michael’s skull, which left “three ill defined lines”, was, he believed, “unlikely to have been sustained by a baseball bat”.

Those still on trial for murder are; a 17-year-old who cannot be named for legal reasons, 19-year-old Jeff Colin Lewis of Rossdale, Christopher Francis Kerr (22), Carnduff Drive, Aaron Cavana Wallace (20) of Moat Road and Christopher Andrew McLeister (18) of Knock Crescent, all Ballymena.

A sixth defendant, Paul Edward David Henson (18), of Condiere Avenue, Ballymena, faces charges of affray and criminal damage.

A seventh accused, 20-year-old Meryvn Wilson Moon, from Douglas Terrace in the town, whom the court heard hit the teenager on the head with a baseball bat, is awaiting sentence having pleaded guilty to the murder.

The trial continues.