SAOIRSE32

Belfast Telegraph
Thursday, 18 December 2008

Orangemen whose halls are targeted by arsonists and vandals will find it easier to claim compensation under new laws proposed today.

Draft legislation tabled by the Government at Westminster extends the existing Criminal Damages Order to include all community halls.

This amendment will speed up the claims process for the owners of premises and ensure their insurance premiums are not inflated as a result.

While gaelic athletic clubs have also been damaged in tit-for-tat sectarian vandalism, the new legislation does not cover properties that are used for sporting or commercial use.

Belfast Telegraph
Thursday, 18 December 2008

The Police Ombudsman has drawn a blank over who phoned a warning that a gun and mortar attack would be mounted in Omagh two weeks before 29 people lost their lives in the Real IRA bombing.

Despite an investigation lasting more than 12 months the Ombudsman has told relatives that his staff have been unable to pinpoint who made the call on the August 4 1998.

The caller warned of a gun and mortar attack on police in the town and relatives have complained that it should have triggered a major RUC operation to seal off the area.

It has been suggested that the call from a phone box in Beragh about 10 miles from Omagh was made by a serving police officer at the time but no evidence has been uncovered to support the report.

The Ombudsman has told relatives that his officers were unable to establish if the call was made by a police officer and simply couldn’t identify who was responsible.

Godfrey Wilson whose 15 year-old daughter Lorraine was killed in the bombing said the outcome of the Ombudsman’s investigation was a disappointment.

“It’s one of the mysteries of the Omagh bombing that may never be solved”, he said. “The call on August 4 warned of a gun and mortar attack on police in the town but nothing was done. Had a plan been put in place to deal with that threat the town could have been sealed off a lot quicker and maybe many lives would have been saved.”

The Omagh man whose daughter was working in the Oxfam shop when the bomb exploded said there had been 27 previous attacks by the Real IRA across Northern Ireland and feels that more weight should have been given to the anonymous call.

“Two weeks previously Banbridge was blasted by the Real IRA bombers so I can’t understand why when the call came in contingency plans weren’t made. Why were troops not ready to be called out the weekend of the bombing given the threat level? I suspect that a political deal had been done with Sinn Fein to keep troops off the streets but we may never know exactly what happened with Omagh.”

Meanwhile Downing Street is expecting to receive a report within days on how much the Government’s secret listening station knew about the Omagh bombing.

The Intelligence Services Commissioner Sir Peter Gibson is expected to hand in his findings on the intercepted mobile phone calls made by the Real IRA bombers on their way to the town and how the information was shared.

Sir Peter has been investigating the issue of phone intercept intelligence associated with the 1998 bombing after relatives gave the Government a one week deadline to hand over the information in September. The Prime Minister announced that Sir Peter would conduct a review of all the intelligence information held by GCHQ in Cheltenham and write a report within three months.

Al Jazeera
18 Dec 2008

A senior US Democrat has condemned Dick Cheney, the US vice-president, for his defence of waterboarding “terror” suspects, saying the abuse amounted to torture and warning there could be prosecutions over the issue under a new administration.

Cheney on Monday told ABC News he was aware and had supported the use of waterboarding on detainees at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba.

But Carl Levin, senator for Michigan and chairman of senate armed services committee, told NBC when asked if Cheney had essentially admitted condoning torture that “as far as I’m concerned that’s exactly what he admitted”.

“He’ll say that he doesn’t admit supporting torture but facts are that [these are] the policies which were approved,” he said.

“I think every authority on waterboarding and torture will say that waterboarding constitutes torture.”

Waterboarding is a controversial interrogation technique used to make a detainee feel as if he or she is drowning.

Last week, a report by the US senate armed services committee involving both Republicans and Democrats said the abuse of detainees in Guantanamo Bay “cannot simply be attributed to the actions of ‘a few bad apples’ acting on their own”.

‘Clearing process’

Cheney admitted on Monday he was aware that waterboarding was used on Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the alleged planner of the September 11, 2001, attacks on the US.

Asked if he thought, in hindsight, any of the tactics went too far, Cheney said: “I don’t.”

“I was aware of the programme, certainly, and involved in helping get the process cleared, as the agency, in effect, came in and wanted to know what they could and couldn’t do,” he said.

“And they talked to me, as well as others, to explain what they wanted to do. And I supported it.”

Legal assertions

However, Levin also said he strongly disagreed with Cheney’s assertions that the justice department had provided legal justification for waterboarding.

“You can’t suddenly change something that’s illegal into something that is legal by having a lawyer write an opinion saying it’s legal,” Levin said later.

“It is not a defence and I was astounded, frankly, when I heard the vice-president of the US sort of just blandly and blithely saying he felt it was an appropriate thing and, yes, he was involved in discussions about it.”

Levin also said he hoped that an independent commission appointed by the administration of Barack Obama, the US president-elect, would examine the possible role of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and instigate investigations which “which may or may not lead to indictments or civil action”.

More than 200 detainees remain at the Guantanamo Bay prison camp in Cuba, which has been widely condemned by international human rights groups.

By Barry McCaffrey
Irish News
17/12/08

THE Court of Appeal has refused to rule on an application by Special Branch informer Mark Haddock to prevent The Irish News barristers from being allowed to question him about his career as a UVF killer during a forthcoming court case.

Haddock, who was last year revealed to have been involved in up to 16 murders while working as a Special Branch agent for a 13-year period, had applied to the Court of Appeal to prevent lawyers acting for the paper from questioning him about his role as a UVF killer during a court hearing next month.

In October Haddock failed in a bid to prevent The Irish News and other media outlets from photographing him when he is released from prison in January.

That court also ruled that legal representatives for The Irish News should be allowed to cross-examine Haddock about his previous paramilitary career and his extensive involvement in crime, which involved drug dealing, extortion and intimidation.

Yesterday, Haddock’s barrister, Frank O’Donoghue QC, argued that his client, who is serving a 10-year jail term for grievous bodily harm, should not be questioned about alleged criminal activities for which he had never been convicted.

Mr O’Donoghue argued that Haddock should not be questioned over his activities as a Special Branch informer during the time when it is claimed that he carried out the alleged crimes.

He also objected to his client being questioned about whether he knew the identity of the gunmen who shot him six times outside an Orange hall in Newtownabbey in May 2006 during a meeting with the UVF to discuss a deal to guarantee his silence in exchange for not being killed by former colleagues.

However, Court of Appeal judge Lord Justice Higgins said it was a matter for the original trial judge Mr Justice Deeney, adding that the matter should be decided as a preliminary issue when the injunction application goes before the High Court again in mid-January.

Irish News
17 Dec 2008

A former editor of an Irish-language newspaper which is to close this week has claimed a lack of support from Sinn Fein is partly to blame for its demise.

Concubhar O Liathain, who edited La Nua from 2005-07, said he believed the party’s “vindictiveness” towards it was “partially responsible” for a cut in crucial funding.

It was confirmed yesterday that the daily paper, which was established in 1984, will publish its last edition on Friday. Eight jobs will be lost.

Publisher Mairtin O Muilleoir said the move had come after Foras na Gaeilge – responsible for the promotion of Irish throughout Ireland – decided to stop funding a daily title.

However, Mr O Liathain said he believed La Nua had become “a victim of the new dispensation of peace and power-sharing”.

“While I was editor of La Nua, the newspaper was critical of Sinn Fein’s track record on living up to its promises regarding the Irish language,” he said.

“The newspaper gave voice to criticism from many in the Irish language community who were disappointed at the way the Irish language was being treated in the ‘new dispensation’ between Sinn Fein and the DUP.”

Mr O Liathain said despite the fact that Sinn Fein seemed to have a “pivotal” role within Foras na Gaeilge, nominating four members to the board, a decision was still made to cut funding.

“I would find it difficult to believe that other members of the board would vote against La Nua if Sinn Fein were supportive of the newspaper,” he said.

The former editor also cited a number of other contributing factors for the closure including lack of marketing and printing and distribution costs.

However, Sinn Fein president Gerry Adams last night expressed his and the party’s support for a printed, daily Irish language news service.

“Sinn Fein has made clear our support for an Irish language newspaper. I am a daily reader of La Nua and will of course miss its contribution to the life of Gaelguiri throughout Ireland,” he said.

“Since the closure of La Nua was announced I have lobbied for the provision of a daily printed and electronic news service in Irish. It is Sinn Fein’s hope that that will be realised.

“La Nua has been the flagship for these types of projects and I want to commend everyone involved, particularly the journalists for their invaluable contribution to the growth of the Irish language.”

By Maeve Connolly
Irish News
17/12/08

A CATHOLIC man is planning to move out of the house where he was tied up and beaten by a gang who also ransacked the property on the outskirts of south Belfast.

The 27-year-old was in his home in Newtownbreda when the men came to the door at around 8.30pm.

His family have claimed the attack on Monday night was motivated by sectarianism and police have said they are following a number of lines of inquiry “including the possibility there is a sectarian motive behind” it.

Up to five men wearing masks or balaclavas were involved in the attack in which they used hammers and bats to beat their victim, police said. One of them may have had a goatee beard.

Their victim managed to free himself and received hospital treatment for his injuries, which were not believed to be life threatening.

His father lives next door but was not at home when the man was targeted. Speaking afterwards he said they both intended leaving the area following the incident.

Castlereagh councillor Sara Duncan, of the Alliance party, said there was an ageing

population in the Newtownbreda area and that this attack “will terrify them”.

“A few years ago an elderly man was attacked and robbed at the other end of Newtownbreda village,” she said.

“He was in a dreadful state. It’s sad that in 2008 thugs could attack people and frighten them so much that they feel they have to leave the area.”

Ms Duncan condemned the latest attack and urged anyone who might have seen those responsible making their escape in a silver Mercedes car to contact police.

The property is close to a large 24-hour supermarket and Ms Duncan said there was a strong possibility that shoppers there could have seen the vehicle.

BBC

Two men have been arrested in connection with the murder of south Armagh man Paul Quinn last year.

Paul Quinn was beaten to death in October 2007

Mr Quinn, 21, was beaten to death at farm buildings near Castleblayney in County Monaghan in October 2007.

Despite numerous arrests, no-one has ever been charged with his murder.

A PSNI spokesman said the two men were being questioned at Antrim Police Station.

Irish News
18/12/08

The man who organised George Best’s funeral was today appointed as the new chief executive of the Northern Ireland Policing Board.

Adrian Donaldson was in charge at Castlereagh borough council when thousands of people packed into the Stormont estate to bid farewell to the footballing legend in December 2005.

The former council chief executive will take on the role at the PSNI’s independent monitoring body. replacing Trevor Reaney, who left earlier this year to become director general of the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Board chairman Desmond Rea said he was delighted Mr Donaldson was joining them.

“The Board is very pleased that Mr Donaldson has accepted the offer to become its new chief executive,” he said.

“Following a rigorous selection procedure he was appointed after successful interview from amongst a number of able and competent candidates.”

Best, who was made a freeman of Castlereagh in 2002, was brought up in the east Belfast borough.

In the wake of the Manchester United star’s death, his family asked Mr Donaldson to help them organise what turned out to be one of the biggest funerals yet held in the region.

At the board, Mr Donaldson will head a 60-strong team supporting the work of the appointed independent and political members. He will take up the post in the New Year.

Belfast Telegraph
Thursday, 18 December 2008

Chief Constable Sir Hugh Orde has been ordered to disclose a list of documents to the parents of an IRA man shot dead by police.

A High Court judge ruled that Hugh and Teresa Jordan, whose son Pearse was killed in west Belfast 16 years ago, should be given all non-sensitive files supplied to a coroner.

With a long-delayed inquest into the shooting due to open next month, Mr Justice Stephens gave Sir Hugh two weeks to comply with his direction.

Mr and Mrs Jordan were seeking a judicial review over the PSNI’s decision not to provide them with all material supplied to the coroner in relation to their son’s death.

Pearse Jordan (22) was gunned down by the RUC in disputed circumstances following a car collision on the Falls Road in November 1992.