SHOOTING SCENE UNSECURED FOR THREE HOURS

Officers fled after gunmen opened fire

CONCERN was expressed on Thursday night that police left the scene where gunmen opened fire on officers – unsecured for more than three hours. Residents of the Foxes Glen devolpment in West Belfast could clearly see the remains of a bullet lying on the ground at the back of a car where the aattack took place.

The scene from Forrest-Gump as he’s running and losses his leg braces RUN FORREST RUN

 

‘ Somebody could have been really hurt here today - Margaret McGrath

Young children were standing close to it, taking phphotographs with their mobile phones. A police patrol made up of one woman and two men, was lured into the area following a bougas report of a burglarly. Six shots were fired into the housing development as children played nearby. None of the officers were injured, although the PSNI spokesman said they had been left ” extremely shaken”. Following the shooting, the police patrol sped from the area and more than three hours later the scene around the car had still been left unsecured. A police Land Rover could be seen parked at  to the devolopment. Sinn Fein councillor Stephen Magennis, who lives in the area, said he heard “one loud bang and about five or six smaller shots”. He described the shootings as “reckless”.”It was obviously attempted murder, not only on obviously the police – I’m glad nobody was hurt – but also residents and children.” Mr Magennis said it was “not acceptable” that the scene had been left ununsecured. “Obviousley, I understand there’s precautions in place for the police coming in to obviously a follow-up operation,” he said.

“They should have been in long ago. You can see there’s still a bullet lying here. It’s being left to the community.” Resident Margaret McGrath, who was at the scene on Thursday holding her 22-month-old ggranddaughter, said she was “disgusted” by what had happened. She described hearing the police car “screech” before it sped out of the area. “There’s so many children here,” she said. “Somebody could have been really hurt today. I mean, we put this all behind us a long time ago and they’re bringing it back.” Police on Thursday night confirmed “following the initial attempt to murder police officers in Foxes Glen, Dunmurry, crews were withdrawn from the area”. “Previous experience has indicated that on many occasions where an attack has been made on police there is often as secondary attack in the same area,” a spokesman said.”As police presence following such an attack can itself constitute a risk to the community on many occasions the decision is taken to reduce that risk by removing police officers from the immediate area.”

Lisburn area commander Chief Inspector Darrin Jones also hit out at those responsible for the attack. “It is despicable that police officers, who were simply trying to give assistance to a person they believed needed them, should be attacked so ruthlessly,” he said. “Simply put, this was an attempt to murder three young, professional, dedicated people. Three people who were just trying to carry out their duty and serve their community to the best of their ability. “I am appealing directly to anyone  who was in the Foxes Glen area at the time and may be able to help us, to get in touch with police. “I feel extremely grateful that those responsible for this attack failed in their goal to murder. “We could have been dealing with an unimaginable tragedy had the person or persons who pulled the trigger had their evil way. “I ask people in Twinbrook, Dunmurry and further afield to continue to support us and to let the people behind this reckless attack know they do not have support and they will not succeed.” Anyone with information about the attack can contact police on 0845 600 8000 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

With many thanks to : Marie Louise McCrory, Irish News.

Related articles

• Barlmoral show at the Maze (politics.ie)
• Guns and Ammo Seized in West Belfast Murder Bid Probe (belfastdaily.co.uk)
• Suspect Arrested Over West Belfast Murder Bid on Police (belfastdaily.co.uk)
• Gunmen who ambushed PSNI officers in Belfast were ‘intent on murder’ (belfasttelegraph.co.uk)
• Device found at scene of ambush on PSNI officers (newsletter.co.uk)
• Anthony Senatore Arrested for having Unsecured Weapons Accessible to Children /cnbnewsnet (gloucestercitynews.net)

DEVILISH PLAN TO DESTROY OUR HISTORY…. THE CIVIL RIGHTS MURAL

Bogside Artists Derry

DEVILISH PLAN TO DESTROY OUR HISTORY..

THE CIVIL RIGHTS MURAL.

The picture below shows about as much as anyone will see of the Civil Rights mural – one of the most famous murals in the entire gallery and a favourite to a great many. It captures the character and nature of the first marches for civil rights way back in 1998.

The Free Derry Museum considered by us a Sinn Fein bunker, irrespective of what other presences may be on it, intend to build a ramp across it as part of their much-planned, much-funded redesign. The museum as an entity is held in very high esteem because of its association with Bloody Sunday. All the more reason why this particular abuse of that universal esteem and the tragedy it is built upon cannot but be condemned by all of us.

We were not consulted about the ramp. We phoned Brennnan’s Architectural firm about the lunacy and got “George” on the line who informed us they were “not building a new ramp but only reconfiguring an old one.” We asked him if the ramp was going across the mural. He said “it wouldn’t touch the mural”. George’s spiel we took to be a word game so familiar to us as characteristic of Sinn Fein conmanship.

We were told by a friend that an artist’s impression of the ramp show it clearly cutting across the mural rendering it virtually invisible. The fact that it doesn’t “touch” the mural hardly lessens the intended vandalism on what is a prized treasure to the community if not the free world.

And if it doesn’t touch the mural you can bet all you have on the probability that it will be placed near enough to it to prevent us putting scaffolding in front of it in order to restore it.

George said the design had been published and was common knowledge. In actual fact, planning permission was granted (by whom?) on February 3rd. Few we talked to could recall ever having seen it.

We have responded in plenty of time therefore but scour the net as we did for hours we could find no picture of said design. However we did find evidence that once upon a time there had been a picture of it in The Derry Journal. We found the page but there was no picture, its mysterious absence making nonsense of most of the text based around it.

Here is the link (http://www.derryjournal.com/news/local/ambitious-plans-for-museum-of-free-derry-go-on-display-1-2146609).

According to Adrian Kerr manager of Free Derry Museum the local community are behind this preposterous madness to a man. This is a lie of course. Only those outside of the Intensive Care Unit of Gransha and a small coterie of morally redundant Shinners could possibly ever support such a blatant act of vandalism. No right thinking man ever could. And only a fool could fail to see what it is really about…. destroying The People’s Gallery.

Vinny Coyle whose late father is rightly known as the “Chief Steward of the Civil Rights Movement” has this to say:….

“Nobody is wiping my dad out of history or all the other men and women depicted in the mural who fought a long struggle for human rights. I will shackle myself to the railings if need be and so will my family and a thousand others.”

Our response?.. “We are with Vinny Coyle. What is the alternative?

And why are we being pushed into combating this sort of horror over and over again? Have all the people of the Bogside been turned into sheep that they would stand back and let such a crime against them and their history take place before their eyes and bear the insult into the bargain by being told to their faces that they had actually agreed to it?

What seems to be the working method of the Shinners these days is that a few of them rendezvous at Pilot’s Row for a chin-wag and then they announce through their propaganda machine next day that a “community meeting took place in the Bogside and this was agreed and that decided and this approved of etc, etc, blah, blah, blah…” when nothing of the sort actually took place. There was no cross section of the community present at any such meeting NOR WAS ANY EXPECTED. Times and publicity concerning such meetings are constructed in such a way as to guarantee a majority of Shinners being present. Now you see them, now you don’t.

The ramp has been thought up to destroy the unity of the gallery and serves no other purpose. Be very clear about that.

Also, we may remind Mr. Kerr that museums the world over exist to serve history and art; NOT to destroy them. The Mona Lisa was not painted for the Louvre. The Louvre was built to house the Mona Lisa.

You would think a manager of a museum would have some grasp of that simple concept but not so Mr. Kerr who is to museum curatorship apparently what a blind man is to taxi driving. If he were even qualified for the post he might have something to argue in his defense. But, he isn’t. And really, this sort of thing cannot be defended anyway.

What we have here is premeditated diabolical vandalism accompanied by contemptible deception of, and disrespect for the entire community of the Bogside.

http://www.derryjournal.com/news/local/ambitious-plans-for-museum-of-free-derry-go-on-display-1-2146609

Related articles

• Explanation of the Bog Side Murals (lovetravelnamaste.com)
• Big Wheel for The Bogside (allblowover.wordpress.com)
• Bogside Artists Suggestion for Ebrington Mural (allblowover.wordpress.com)
• Cinematographics Wall Murals (jonnymetbird.com)
• Crowds gather in Derry and Belfast to mark funeral of Margaret Thatcher (belfasttelegraph.co.uk)

HUNDREDS OF O’NEILLS TO GATHER IN CO TYRONE

The coat of arms of the O’Neills of Tyrone. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

‘The idea behind it is to pull in people with such an important name - Brendan McAnallen.

HUNDREDS of people with the surname O’Neill are to ddescend on their spiritual home in Co Tyrone for a gathering of famous clan later this month . Organisers say the International Gathering of the O’Neill Clans will attract people from as far away as America and Australia.

Theevent, arranged by the Tyrone based Association of O’Neill Clans, will focus on key sites associated with the ancient family name in the country. Partcipants will visit the ancient seat of the O’Neills in Benburb, Tullyhogue Fort, near Cookstown, where the clan installed their chieftains, and the Hill of O’Neills in Dungannon. Organiser Brendan McAnallen said the event would provide a unique opportunity for O’Neills to celebrate their Tyrone roots centuries after the collapse of the Gaelic system in Ulster. “This is the first time there has been an international gathering of this type in Tyrone. The idea behind it is to pull in people with such an important name as O’Neill,” he said.

It is important for people who share this name to know its sighificance, the Benburbn-based businessman said. “Unfortunately the average  O’Neill may not know their own history and some may not care either,” he said.”But there are a lot of people related to the O’Neills who take an interest in the family like the Quinns, the Hagans and the Donnellys. “We have people coming from England, Scotland, France, Spain and even Greece. They are also coming from Americia, Canada and Australia.” Mr McAnallen said the event had taken its inspiaration from the Gathering, the Irish government‘s drive to encourage people of Irish decent to return to the country during 2013. “We thought we should do something and this is our contribution,” he said. “We want to generate a bit of interest and bring the Irish diaspora back home.” Cookstown District Council will host the international vistors at Tullyhogue  on T’hursday of next week, during which a tour, talk and re-enactment will take place at the historic fort. A similar event, supported by the Ancient Clan O’Neill of Tyrone, will take place the following day. The International Gathering of the O’Neill Clans will run from May 23 to 25. For more information visit http://www.oneillclan.com.

With many thanks to : Connia Young, Irish News.

Related articles

• Mary Devenport O’Neill: Forgotten Irish Woman Poet (ellipticalmovements.wordpress.com)
• Stephen O’Neill and Lester Ryan win GAA GPA Player of the League Award (irishcentral.com)
• A Lifetime in one day’s Addiction: A Long Day’s Journey Into Night By: Hilary Burke (irishdiasporafilmreviews.wordpress.com)

DUP MPs HAND OVER £144k AFTER SELLING LONDON HOMES

SIX of the DUP‘s eight MP’s have had to hand over thousands of pounds to the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (Ipsa) following the sales of their London homes. The six – Gregory Campbell, Nigel Dodds, Jeffrey Donaldson, Willie McCrea, David Simpson and Sammy Wilson – were the only North of Ireland MPs on a llist of 29 MPs.

Between them, the six DUP MPs had to hand over almost £144,000. In May 2010, following the MPs’ expended controversy, Ipsa banned the use of Commons expended to pay mortgage interest. As part of a transitional arrangement, it allowed MPs elected before 2010 to keep claiming money up until last August as long as they agreed to return any potential gain from property sales. When elected to Westminster, the six DUP MPs bought second homes in London rather than rent accommodation or use hotel rooms while attending parliament. Following the Westminister watchdog ruling, all six sold their properties and have now paid over sums agreed with Ipsa.

Seventy-one MPs were affected but most did not have to hand over any money to Ispa because surveyors’ reports or sale prices showed that their properties had not gained in value. East Derry MP Gregory Campbell had to pay the second highest amount of any MP – £61,403. “All DUP MPs have fully complied with the new expences system introduced at Westminster,” he said. “Through the fact that I receive no salary in my role as an assembly member that cost is saved to the public. “Through the sale of this property which has been done in full cooperation with Ipsa the public purse has benifited by a further £60,000.”An Ispa spokesman said one of the most damaging aspects of the MPs’ expences scandal was the use of taxpayers’ money to buy a second home. “That is why we said we would stop this and we have now done so,” he said. “The final stage in bringing this to an end was allowing a short transition period for MPs who were already committed to second mortgages. “But in doing this we set the condition that the taxpayer would want its share of any increse in the value of the property. “Today we are publishing that these capital gains are worth almost £500,000 to the taxpayer.” The spokesman said MPs had known this was the deal and agreed to the conditions set. The amounts that the other DUP MPs had to pay were :

• Nigel Dodds : £19,507
• Jeffrey Donaldson : £1,448
• Willie McCrea : £29,793
• David Simpson : £30,308
• Sammy Wilson : £1,448.

Related articles

• Details emerge of DUP MPs’ mortgage expenses (newsletter.co.uk)
• Expenses watchdog takes action against Tory MP Stewart Jackson in £54,000 dispute over taxpayer-funded homes (independent.co.uk)
• Breaking News: MP disputes Ipsa mortgage claims (crosbyherald.co.uk)

Ex -IRA MAN LOSES BID FOR ‘IMMUNITY’ AGAINST CONVICTION

‘ We consider that any of the grounds of appeal haveAssemblyde out - Lord Chief Justice Declan Morgan.

A FORMER IRA man’s bid to overturn his conviction for attempted murder has been rejected. Lawyers for Co Tyrone man Gerry McGeough said he had been assured immunity from prosecution by a Sinn Fein representative.

The lawyers argued that criminal proceedings that led to McGeough being jailed for trying to kill part-time soldier Samuel Brush 32 years ago were an abuse of process. Central to his case was an allegation that North Belfast assembly member Gerry Kelly, pictured below, had assured McGeough in 2000 that he would not be charged if he returned to the North from being on the run. McGeough had escaped from hospital after being wonded when his victim – now a DUP councillor – returned fire in the ambush. He cotended that Mr Kelly had given him a binding primise on behalf of the Stormont executive.

Gerry Kelly

Lord Chief Justice Declan Morgan pointed to legal authorites which set out that an abuse of process depended on an unequivocal guarantee of immunity being by those bringing the criminal case. ” We do not consider that the evidence indicates any basis for the conclusion that Mr Kelly was a represntative of verdict and esponsible forhonduct of the investigation or prosecutions, ” the judge said. “We further agree that in any event the statement attributed to Mr Kelly, who did not give evidence, did not contain any representation, never mind one which could be said to be unequivocal for the purpose of this test.” Mr Brush was working as a postman when he was shot and seriously wonded near Aughnacloy, Co Tyrone in June 1981. McGeough (54), from Dungannon, was convicted in 2011 of attempted murder, possession of firearms with intent to commit an indictable offence and IRA membership. He was jailed for 20 years but released earlier  this year under the terms of the Good Friday Agreement. The one-time gunrunner was not in court yesterday to hear judges throw out all grounds of the appeal. Correspondence from the Northern Ireland Office to Mr Kelly in 2003 was introudeced during the case. The letter included McGeough in a list of six people who would face arrest and questioning if they returned to the North of Ireland.

As part of a disclosure process evidence was also called from William Smyth of the Progressive Unionist Party. He claimed to have attended a meeting with former Secretary of State Mo Mowlam during negotiations leading up to the Good Friday Agreement in 1998. It was alleged that she had confirmed that those who had committed offences during the Troubles for which they had not been convicted would not be prosecuted. Mr Smyth also stated that those who came forward to admit their crimes would serve two years in jail while those who refused to accept guilt would apparenty face no punishment. Sir Declan, sitting with Lords Justices Higgins and Girvan, said : “Such an outcome would be absurd. “The learned disclosure judge concluded, in our veiw inevitabilty, that Mr Smyth’s evidence that the issue of on-the-runs was ‘done and dusted’ was difficult to accept.” MrGeough also failed to establish that it was unfair to try him because of the passage of time. Detailing his escape from hospital, subsequent proceedings against him in continental Europe and the US and a period spent in the Republic, Sir Declan held that any delay in the trail was McGeough’s responsibility. “We do not consider that any of the grounds of appeal have been made out and we do not consider the convictions are unsafe,” the judge said. Mr Brush was in court for the virdict and later said he had been under no doubt the appeal would be thrown out. Dismissing McGeough’s claims to have been assured immunity, Mr Brush said : “We ars living in a fairytale land as it but to suggest that was going to take place is even worhorse .” The DUP councillor also hit out the founding being given to bring the challenge. “As far as I can see it’s another scandalous misuse of the legal aid system. It had no chance of success,” he said.

With many thanksis to : The Irish News.

Related articles

• IRA man’s bid to overturn attempted murder conviction fails (belfasttelegraph.co.uk)
• British Interests Best Served by Present Arrangements ! (seachranaidhe1.wordpress.com)
• SDLP challenged on paramilitary funeral attendance (newsletter.co.uk)
• Men Jailed for Carroll Killing Get Date for Legal Challenge (seachranaidhe1.wordpress.com)
• SF and SDLP should pay to remove IRA signs: Ringland (newsletter.co.uk)
• Man jailed for sexually abusing sister was safely convicted – court hears (belfasttelegraph.co.uk)

ADAMS TO MEET FAMILY OF MURDERED PRISON OFFICER

” The family of prison officer Brian Stack asked me to meet them and this will take place on Thursday evening”- Gerry Adams.

SINN Fein president Gerry Adams will tommorow meet the family  IRA victim Brian Stack – the only prison officer ever to be assassinated in the Republic. The face-to-face meeting is to be held in Leinster House at 5.30pm.

It follows a request from Mr Stack’s family who have been campaigning for decades for hisk killer to be identified. Mr Adams said they are not the first family he has meet who have been “in this same situation”. “Some were victims of the IRA. Others were killed as a result of collusion between British state forces and loyalist death squads, or by the British Army and RUC, the UDR and other armed groups,” the Louth TD said. “The grief and trauma suffered by all these families is the same. “The family of Prison Officer Brian Stack asked me to meet them and this will take place on Thursday evening.

In their request for a meeting, the family said they were : “Looking for answers and closure and in no way are seeking any form of revenge. “From our perspective an admission of responsibility accompanied by details of the reasoning for the act by those concerned would provide that. Mr Adams said he is “happy” to meet the family, but could not “raise expectation” that Sinn Fein leadership will be able to “resolve these particular matters”. Brian Stack was Chief Prison Officer at Portlaoise jail when he was shot in the back of the neck as he left a boxing match at the National Stadium, in Dublin in March 1983. He was left paralysed and brain damaged following the attack and died from his injuries 18 months later, aged 47.

With many thanks to : Bimpe Archer, Irish News.

Related articles

• Gerry Adams to meet family of IRA murder victim Brian Stack (belfasttelegraph.co.uk)
• Shame Fein President Gerry Adams Denies Killings Role (seachranaidhe1.wordpress.com)
• Boston College tapes: IRA recordings on Jean McConville death ‘may bring about Gerry Adams’ downfall’ (belfasttelegraph.co.uk)
• Hazell told prison officers ‘it wasn’t sexual’ (itv.com)
• WA prison officers accept pay deal (bigpondnews.com)
• Sinn Fein’s Gerry Adams says “I forgive” Margaret Thatcher but not for Hunger Strikes – VIDEO (irishcentral.com)
• Gerry Adams repeatedly denies knowledge of string of IRA murders (belfasttelegraph.co.uk)

ANOTHER PRISONER TAKES HIS OWN LIFE AT MAGHABERRY PRISON

ANOTHER Prisoner at Maghaberry Jail in Co AAn trim has been found dead.

Geoffrey Singleton, 42, from the Armagh  area, was found collapsed in his ccell on Monday. He was pronounced dead after being moved to an ambulance,

It is understood he took his own life. The police, coroner and prisoner ombudsman have been informed, The ddirector general of the Prison Service, Sue McAlluster, has offered her condolences to his family and friends.

Related articles

• Delay Reaching Prisoner May Have Caused Brain Damage (seachranaidhe1.wordpress.com)
• Prisoner found dead in his cell at Maghaberry jail (belfasttelegraph.co.uk)
• Cogús Prisoners Maghaberry Easter Statement 2013 (seachranaidhe1.wordpress.com)
• High-profile Republicans Honour Murdered Inla Boss and His Wife (seachranaidhe1.wordpress.com)
• Message From Martin Corey – Maghaberry Prison (seachranaidhe1.wordpress.com)

BRYSON BANNED FROM CUP FINAL

Judge denies request due to the threat of protest

LEADING flag protester Jamie Bryson cannot attend today’s Irish Cup final, a judge has ruled. The Ulster People’s Forum spokesman sought permission to attend the showpiece soccer match between Glentoran and Cliftonville.

Mr Bryson is banned from being within four miles of Belfast City Hall while on bail charged with offences connected to the ongoing Union Flag dispute. He sought to have the pprohibition relaxed so that he could join thousands of supporters at the game being held at Windsor Park in the south of the city. Police opposed his application amid concerns protests could be staged at the ground over the decision not to play the British national anthem before the match. They argued that such an event would lead to Mr Bryson being in breach of another condition not to go within a mile of any public demonstration. The 23-year-old, of Rosepark, Donaghadee, Co Down, faces six charges involving allegations of encouraging or assisting, offences and taking part in an unnotified public procession.

He has previously been refused permission to attend a UVF centenary parade but allowed to stay out later at night to play for his amateur fofoot book team. Making the latest application, his lawyer yesterday told Belfast Magistrates Court that he would be bussed straight into the stadium and back out after the game. “I asked him if there were to be a protest at Windsor Park how would he react. He said ‘I would leave’,” Richard McConkey said. District Judge Austin Kennedy accepted Mr Bryson wanted to be at the match. “That’s what happens. That’s the nature of sport. People  want to attend finals,” he said. However, the judge denied the request due to the potential threat of any trouble breaking out. “There is the issue of public order and the maintenance of public order and the maintenance of public order given the current climate surrounding the issue of the Union Flag protests, regarding the issue of the national anthem tommorow and because police have information there will be a protest,” he said. “On balance I’m not prepared to take the risk at this stage.” Mr Bryson shook his head as he walked from the courtroom following the refusal.

With many thanks to : Irish News.

Related articles

• Cup Final National Anthem Row: Dup to Meet Ifa (belfastdaily.co.uk)
• IFA ‘out of tune’ in anthem row (newsletter.co.uk)
• Three accused over dissident march seek to attend ‘valid’ protests (belfasttelegraph.co.uk)
• Jamie Bryson Banned From Irish Cup Final (belfastdaily.co.uk)
• Flag protester Jamie Bryson can stay out later to play footfall – judge rules (belfasttelegraph.co.uk)

DELAY REACHING PRISONER MAY HAVE CAUSED BRAIN DAMAGE

 Sex offender was found unconscious in cell after suicide bid

DELAYS in reaching an unconscious prisoner in the wake of a suicide bid may have contributed to the serious brain damage he suffered, a watchdog report has found. The 30-year-old convicted sex ooffender, who had a history of psychiatric problems, self-harm and alcohol abuse, was being held in the Care and Supervision Unit (CSU) at Maghaberry Prison when he tried to hang himself in his cell in February last year.

As part of supervision measures for patients deemed to be at risk, he should have been checked on every 15 minutes. But an investigation by Prisoner Ombudsman Pauline McCabe found that when the Prisoner – referred to as Mr C – was discovered unresponsive in his cell by an officer, 29 minutes had elapsed from the last time he was observed through the door flap. Ms McCabe said it took a further five minutes to get the cell opened, as a senior officer was also required to be present under security protocols. Resuscitation was commenced with the assistance of prison nurses and after 10 to 15 minutes Mr C had begun to breath again. Paramedics arrived almost half an hour after the prisoner was found.

Ms McCabe said there had been a four-and-half minute delay requesting an ambulance due to “an unfortunate misunderstanding” of a radio message sent by the senior office at the scene. While the prisoner ultimatley survived the episode he was left with complex physical disabilities and cognitive impairment caused by severe brain injury, including an inability to speak and communicate basic needs. He is now cared for in a nursing home. Edward Brackenbury, an expert askec by the ombudsman to assess the medical impact of the delays in reaching the prisoner, said : “Even the smallest delay in rescure will be important in determining the success, or otherwise, of resuscitation following hanging”. The delay was one of 44 issues of concern flagged up by Ms McCabe in her report. While the ombudsman regularly investigates deaths in custody, the probe was the first ‘near-death’ inquiry carried out by the watchdog. Ms McCabe raised concern at the length of time Mr C was confined to his cell during his time in custody and the failure to refer him for a mental health assessment at time of commitgal to prison.

With many thanks to : David Young, Irish News.

Related articles

• Couple Who Left Toddler With Brain Damage Escape Jail (ayrshirenews.wordpress.com)
• Boy left brain damaged at birth awarded £8.5m to pay for care (standard.co.uk)
• Brain damaged boy’s £8.5m will help with ‘toughest job in world’ (standard.co.uk)
• Man survives harpoon through skull with no brain damage (cbsnews.com)
• Pscyhopaths, brain damage, and the necessity for successful early intervention and treatment models to prevent cruelty to animals (horsewelfarenews.wordpress.com)

SUICIDE MAN GETS BAIL AS HE’S DYING IN HOSPITAL

Inmate was on remand during death bid !

A PRISONER was granted bail as he fought for his life in a Belfast hospital after an attempted suicide in jail, we can reveal. But the bizarre circumstances mean the Northern Ireland Prison Service do not have to record Joseph Rainey‘s death as a ‘ death in custody ‘.

Once again, however, the Prisoner Ombuinye will be called in to investigate the tragic circumstances at the controversy-hit Hydebank Wood Prison in South Belfast. And it’s the first major headache for new Governor Paul Norbury who only took up he new post at Hydebank two weeks ago. The jail has been dogged with scandals and there have been a number of inmates who have died at the prison which caters for young offenders as well as women.

Burglary

Last year the Governor Paul Alcock was suspended after inmates Frances McKeown and Samuel Carson took their own lives within hours of each other.The latest tragedy came as Joseph Patrick Thomas Rainey was in Hydebank Wood and Young Offenders ‘ Centre on remand awaiting trial for an attempted burglary charge. The 20-year-old, from Oldpark Avenue, North Belast, tried to hang himself in the prison’s Beech House but was cut down by prison officers. After 10 days on a life support machine, he passed away on April 19. The Sunday World has now learned that in an extraordinary twist, Rainey was granted bail in court – as he fought for his life in hospital a week after he tried to commit suicide. His case was listed for April 17 at Belfast Magistrates Court where he was officially remanded on bail and then last Wednesday,  April 24, the charge was officially withdrawn – after he had died. On Saturday night the Prison Service said it ‘accepted’ that his death was not a ‘death in custody’ because he had been granted bail – even ‘though the event which led to his death occurred behind bars. And they confirmed the Prisoner Omdudsman, Pauline McCabe, would be investigating.

Danger

Part of that investigation will centre around the fact that Joseph Rainey was deemed to be a Supporting Prisoner At Risk (SPAR) by the Nortern Ireland Prison Service. But despite prison chiefs recognising he was a potential danger to himself they decided not to place him in a specially designed cell for such inmates. Prison sources have said the Prison Service could be let off the hook bencause of the technicality. “Incredibly they are not treating this as a ‘death in custody’ because Rainey got bail before he died,” says a source. “but it’s yet another embarrassing case for them to deal with. The new Governor had barely taken his coat off and he has now had this chucked on his lap. “It’s not a great start but the incident happened before he officially started in the job.” A spokesman from the Prison Service said on Saturday night : “As Mr Rainey was bailed prior to his death it is accepted that this is not a ‘death in custody’ but as the cause of death is directly attibutable to his time in custody, his death will be the subject of a Prisoner Ombudsman investigation in line with her terms of reference.” Paul Norbury was appointed governor of Hydebank Wood in February 10 months after his predecessor was suspended following allegations of misconduct.

Applied

It emerged rather surprisingly, that Mr Norbury was the only candidate who applied for the job which comes with a salary of £72,000. Mr Norbury has been a prison governer elsewhere since 1982, with his most recent role in Wymott Prison in Leyland, Lancashire. An interim governor has been running Hydebank Wood since Gary Alcok was suspended in May last year. He was suspended after a report into the circumstances surronding two young inmates who took their own lives within three hours of each other in May 2011. Both prisoners, Frances  McKeown and Samuel Carson, had been subjected to bullying inside the jail. The suspension, after an interim report carried out by Ombudsman Ms. McCabe sent shockwaves through the Prison Service as it was the first time a jail Governor had been suspended from his post in over 140 years. In August Mr Alcock was charged with misconduct after a recommendation by an independant team from the Scottish Prison Service who were asked to carry out an investigation.

With many thanks to : Steven Moore, Sunday World.

 

Related articles

• Cells prepared for G8 protest use (belfasttelegraph.co.uk)
• Prison cells readied ahead of G8 summit in Co Fermanagh this summer (belfasttelegraph.co.uk)
• Palestinian prisoners riot over fellow inmate’s death (timesofisrael.com)
• ‘Zygier distraught after wife visit on day of death’ – Jerusalem Post (jpost.com)