You are currently browsing the daily archive for 9 August 2006.
By Ciarán Barnes
09/08/2006
Police hunting the loyalist killers of a 15-year-old Catholic schoolboy know who murdered him but do not have enough evidence to bring charges, a senior detective admitted yesterday.
Speaking on the first anniversary of Thomas Devlin’s death Detective Superintendent Simon Barraclough, who is leading the investigation, said police had suspects but not enough evidence to convict them.
“I believe that there are people out there who still hold crucial information that would convict the killers of this child,” Mr Barraclough said.
“I believe that the murderers left the scene, I believe they went away and actually destroyed their clothes, I believe they got rid of the murder weapon that was actually used to stab young Thomas and I believe they spoke to people about what they did. These people are still in the community and they haven’t spoken to the police. They need to come forward and they need to speak to us about what happened.”
Thomas was stabbed five times in the back as he and two friends walked home along north Belfast’s Somerton Road on August 10, 2005 after buying sweets.
Nine people have been questioned but no one has been charged with the murder. The PSNI said that more than 900 statements have been taken in relation to the killing and more than 60 properties searched.
The names of the two young loyalists who murdered the teenager are well known. They have strong links to the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) in the loyalist Mount Vernon estate, which is close to where the killing occurred.
Despite overwhelming evidence the PSNI has steadfastly refused to described the murder as sectarian.
A trust fund in memory of Thomas was launched in February. The aim of the Thomas Devlin fund is to promote public awareness about the effects and impact of violent crime, particularly among young people.
By Ciarán Barnes
09/08/2006
A senior Ulster Defence Association figure who was questioned about the murder of the human-rights solicitor Pat Finucane is to be “stood down” by the organisation.
Jim Spence is the latest loyalist be targeted as part of an internal UDA clean-up.
The UDA is demanding a share of a British government grant of £30 million (€45 million) to loyalist areas in return for winding down.
In recent weeks, the UDA has expelled the high-profile figures Andre and Ihab Shoukri, Alan McClean and Charlie Calderwood. Loyalist sources have confirmed that west Belfast man Jim Spence is the latest target of the internal purge.
The veteran UDA man has held various high-ranking positions in west Belfast’s upper Shankill area since the mid-1980s. Over the past few years, he has been plagued by rumours he is an informer.
Sources on the Shankill have told Daily Ireland that Mr Spence may be planning to skip the country before any action is taken. He recently sold a house in the West Circular Road area of the city.
The problem that UDA leaders have in removing the 45-year-old is that he controls much of the group’s finances in west Belfast.
They are fearful that if he flees the country he will take hundreds of thousands of pounds of illegal UDA cash with him.
“People are treading carefully because Spence is the money man in west Belfast,” said a well-placed source.
“There is no doubt that he is set for the chop but it has to be done in a way in which he can’t get away with all the money.”
Jim Spence acquired a small fortune following the jailing of former UDA west Belfast boss Johnny Adair in 2002. While Mr Adair was inside, he controlled the cash coming in from his highly lucrative crime empire.
Mr Spence supported UDA moves to oust the then imprisoned Mr Adair in order to keep the crime boss’ cash. As a result, Mr Adair, who now lives in Scotland, has an intense hatred of his former friend.
Mr Spence has been questioned several times about the 1989 high-profile killing of Pat Finucane.
Brian Nelson, a British army and UDA double agent, has claimed he gave Mr Spence military intelligence on Pat Finucane, which was then passed to a Shankill Road gunman.
By Mick Hall
09/08/2006
An extension for final report of the commission of investigation into the Dublin and Monaghan bombings has been extended to October 31.
The Irish government has established a commission of investigation into the collusion between the British security forces and loyalist paramilitaries in the 1974 bombing of Dublin city and Co Monaghan in which 34 people lost their lives.
Many of the victims’ families have been pressing for an independent inquiry of over 20 years.
The commission is investigating why the Garda investigation was downgraded in 1974, and why gardaí did not follow up on a number of leads which pointed in the direction of the loyalist cell with connections to British army captain Robert Naraic and which operated out of north Armagh.
Questions over missing departmental Garda intelligence and other documentation are also being examined.
The extension of the deadline for the final report was sought by Patrick McEntee SC. The prominent legal representative is the only member of the commission.
By Eamonn Houston
09/08/2006
Politicians in Derry last night called for the chairman of the Bloody Sunday inquiry to explain a lengthy delay in the publication of the tribunal’s findings.
Click photo to view
Lord Saville of Newdigate presided over the marathon inquiry which was set up by British prime minister Tony Blair in 1998 into the 1972 massacre in which 14 people were shot dead by British soldiers.
There is growing unease in Derry that the publication of the findings of the tribunal may be held up for political reasons.
Sinn Féin MLA, Raymond McCartney, said that a lack of communication by the inquiry team with the victims’ families could lead to claims that the British government is holding up the report because of potential embarrassment.
Veteran campaigner Eamon McCann and SDLP MLA Pat Ramsey also voiced concern about the delay in the publication of the report.
The Saville Inquiry finished its hearings two years ago.
Although a massive amount of evidence was heard, Derry representatives say that the families of the dead should be briefed on the progress of the report.
The inquiry has blamed the delay on the amount of evidence to be considered.
A spokesperson for the inquiry told Daily Ireland last night that the families would be given “substantial notice” ahead of the publication of the report.
Mr McCartney said last night that Lord Saville should make direct contact with the families and brief them on progress and the estimated time frame for the publication of the final report.
“In the absence of correspondence between the inquiry and the families it could give rise to fears that this report is being held up for political reasons,” he said.
Mr McCann said that the findings of the Bloody Sunday inquiry had the potential to expose the British government as “a major player in the conflict in the North”, and not a neutral influence.
Mr Ramsey said that the families and civilian witnesses who gave evidence to the Inquiry are entitled to know its rate of progress.
In his opening statement in Derry’s Guildhall in the spring of 1998, Lord Saville said the inquiry needed to be fair and thorough.
“Those requirements must not only be met through the inquiry, but also must be seen to be met. This we shall endeavour to do,” he said.
Spokesperson for the families of the dead, John Kelly, recently made a public appeal for the inquiry to give an indication of progress to date.
The final report will be presented to the secretary of state the day ahead of its general release.
<a href="http://politics.guardian.co.uk/conservatives/story/0,,1840365,00.html
Hélène Mulholland and agencies
Wednesday August 9, 2006
Downing Street today said there were no plans to hold a state funeral for Margaret Thatcher.
A spokeswoman for Number 10 said: “All that we can confirm is that there are no such plans and it is not appropriate to comment further.”
Mr Blair’s stance on funeral arrangements for Lady Thatcher, the country’s first woman prime minister, was revealed after a reported protest by Rosie Cooper, MP for Lancashire West, over reports that civil servants in the Cabinet Office were drawing up detailed plans for a state funeral for the ex-Tory leader.
State funerals are usually reserved for monarchs, with only a few exceptions for outstanding leaders.
According to the Daily Telegraph, Ms Cooper wrote to Number 10 saying that some of her constituents were appalled at the idea that Lady Thatcher might be considered for such an honour.
John McTernan, Mr Blair’s political secretary, replied to Ms Cooper, saying that he could confirm that there were no such plans.
Tory MPs have accused Mr Blair of using his stance on Lady Thatcher’s funeral arrangements to appease leftwing Labour MPs.
Gerald Howarth, Conservative MP for Aldershot and Lady Thatcher’s former parliamentary aide, told the newspaper: “That is Blair all over. It is contemptible. He claimed the mantle of Thatcher but when the going gets tough with Labour MPs, he throws them a bone.”
One of the few former prime ministers to receive a state funeral was Arthur Wellesley, Duke of Wellington and a hero of the Battle of Waterloo. He died in 1852, after many years in the cabinet and a brief stint as PM. In 1965, Winston Churchill was also afforded a state funeral to honour his leadership during the second world war.
09/08/2006 – 09:46:18
Anti-war demonstrators in Derry stormed a software development centre today in protest at Israel’s bombardment of Lebanon.
Nine people forced their way into the Raytheon Systems plant in the city’s Springtown industrial estate as soon as the doors opened.
Another 20 stood outside holding placards demanding an immediate end to the violence.
As police arrived at the scene, one of those involved in the occupation pledged to stay inside as long as possible.
Veteran civil rights campaigner Eamonn McCann claimed that although the factory does not manufacture any weapons, its technology was being used to aid killings in the Middle East.
He said: “It’s a major supplier of high-tech equipment to Israel and other western forces. We see it as a direct relevance to what is happening in the Middle East and we wanted to dramatise our opposition to it.”
Mr McCann said those who pushed their way in as workers began their shifts just after 8am were part of the Derry Anti-War Coalition.
“We will stay here as long as we can,” he insisted. “This is a high-tech business making technology which is capable of a number of appliances, some of which we see on our television screens daily with the attacks on Lebanon.”
09/08/2006 – 13:46:40
Sinn Féin is holding demonstrations outside 11 public hospitals this morning to protest at plans to build private hospitals on the grounds of the facilities.
Sinn Féin says the move is flawed and will not free up as many beds as promised by the Government.
Several medical experts have also been critical of the plan, claiming it will lead to a two-tier health system.
Sinn Féin MEP Mary Lou McDonald says the Government should be focusing on providing a proper public health system to everybody in the country.
She says the private hospitals plan is a distraction that will use up resources that should be directed towards improving the public system.
Speaking outside St James’s Hospital in Dublin this morning, Sinn Féin TD Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin said taxpayers should not be providing subsidies for private businessmen seeking to make a profit from healthcare.
Two former detectives have been arrested over the police handling of the inquiry into the death of a Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) murder victim.
Mr McCord was beaten and his body was left at a quarry
Wednesday’s arrests relate to the case of Raymond McCord Junior who was murdered near Belfast in 1997.
It is understood one of the officers is former CID detective Trevor McIlwrath.
Police Ombudsman investigators are questioning them over allegations of perverting the course of justice and misconduct in public office.
Two premises have also been searched by the investigators, the Police Ombudsman’s office has said.
Mr McCord, 22, was beaten to death by members of the UVF and his body left at a quarry.
Sharon McKenna was murdered in north Belfast in 1992
It has been claimed that at least one of those responsible for the McCord murder was working for police Special Branch at the time and this led to a major investigation by Police Ombudsman Nuala O’Loan.
It is understood the investigation, which has been going on for several years, has mushroomed into a wider inquiry involving police intelligence gathering methods and the use of informers.
An interim report has already been submitted to the Public Prosecution Service and a report is expected to be published next month.
The Police Ombudsman’s Office said the two former officers were being questioned by its investigators at separate police stations.
Police Ombudsman senior director of investigations, Justin Felice, described the operation as “unusual but absolutely necessary”.
Mr Felice said the inquiry was complex
The former police officers were arrested shortly after 0700 BST with PSNI officers in attendance.
The ombudsman’s investigation also includes the UVF murder of Sharon McKenna in north Belfast in 1992.
The 27-year-old Newtownabbey taxi driver was shot in the sectarian attack at the home of an elderly friend whose dinner she was making.
Mr Felice said the complexity of the inquiry had meant examining how detectives carried out the hunt for Ms McKenna’s killers.
Dissident republicans are being blamed for several suspected firebomb attacks in County Down.
A JJB Sports store was destroyed in the blaze
Two stores were destroyed and two others badly damaged in a series of overnight fires in Newry.
Police said it was a “devastating attack” and warned there could be unexploded devices at other premises.
Sinn Fein blamed republican “micro organisations”. Ulster Unionist Danny Kennedy said dissidents were “marking the anniversary of internment”.
About 125 firefighters and 26 appliances tackled the blazes which erupted at about 0225 BST on Wednesday.
They destroyed JJB Sports and CarpetRight stores, whilst a TK Maxx store and MFI outlet were badly damaged. Damage has been put at hundreds of thousands of pounds.
About 20 homes were evacuated during the incident.
Chief Inspector Gary Hagan said a link to dissidents was one line of inquiry.
“It is difficult to comprehend or understand what would be in the mind of people that would want to carry out these kind of attacks, that have left potentially large numbers unemployed and the commercial heart… badly, badly damaged,” he said.
He also urged the business community to check their premises.
“It is possible that some of these devices are still in location and haven’t actually activated. It is vitally important that we locate those as soon as possible,” he said.
“This has happened in Newry last night and it is possible it could happen in other cities, in other towns in other times. ”
Danny Kennedy said the attacks had struck at the heart of the city’s commercial centre.
“It is absolutely sickening that these people have terrorised the commercial centre of Newry with an action intended to strike fear into the hearts of businesses and shoppers alike,” he said.
Davy Hyland of Sinn Fein said the attacks looked like the work of dissident republicans.
He added: “There is very, very little if any support for what happened. Newry has been through difficult times, but in recent years it has gone through a resurgence. Jobs are now in danger of being lost.”
Firefighters have tackled four fires in Newry
David Hanna of the Chamber of Commerce said the apparent return of firebomb attacks was “distressing”.
Walter Johnston of the Fire and Rescue Service said it was “most unusual” to have this type of incident at the same time involving four premises.
“We’re almost certain it was malicious fires, but how they actually were started we are not sure yet. The buildings were totally secured when the fire crews arrived,” he said.
SDLP assembly member Dominic Bradley described the attacks as “futile”.
Mr Bradley said: “This type of wanton destruction of property and jobs only underlines once again the utter futility of violence and should be condemned without reservation by all right thinking people.”
A Northern Ireland Office spokesman said: “This kind of incident is an attack on the whole community.
“Attacks such as this are a matter of serious concern. It places both jobs and livelihoods in jeopardy.”
Meanwhile, Army technical officers have been dealing with a number of security alerts in Newry, County Down.
An alert at Merchant’s Quay has ended after it was declared a hoax. However, the social security office at Bridge Street is still evacuated.
Drivers are being warned of possible delays.
Wednesday is the 35th anniversary of the introduction of internment when hundreds of men were arrested in nationalist areas and detained without being charged.
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