Category Archives: SUPPORT OUR P.O.W’s IN MAGHABERRY.
MAN (41) CAUGHT TRANSPORTING GRENADES JAILED FOR FIVE YEARS
‘The nails, nuts and bolts inside would have caused serious injuries or worse to anyone in the vicinity of these devices exploding - PSNI Serious Crime Branch spokesman.
A DUNGANNON man caught transporting seven “anti-personnel grenades” has been jailed for five years. Martin McGilloway (41) has been sentenced to five years in jail and five on supervised licence conditions. He was jailed at Belfast Crown Court.
The sentencing came a week after Judge McFarlanti-pered down the same term to his co-accused Thomas Hammill (41) after the pair admitted having the explosives with intent to endanger life on May 28 2012. The court heard McGilloway had been the driver of a car that had been chased by police for a short distance in Dungannon. After the car performed a u-turn, officers saw a black holdall being thrown from the passenger-side window. When it was retrieve at Minnevigh Road, police uncovered seven ‘IEDs‘, including lengths of pipe with fireworks, small arms explosives and shrapnel, or ‘grenades’, to be lit with a fuse. While there was no forensics to link McGilloway – a single father-of-two of Spring ale estate in Dungannon – to the bag or its contents, the court heard he had been the ‘courier’ to transport his friend Hammill, also from the Springdale estate, when they were intercepted. Judge McFarland accepeted there was no forensics linking McGilloway to the devices but he found no reason to distinguish between the pair. He noted that McGilloway had accepted he had agreed to be the driver of the car and had engaged in a futile attempt to escape police and that while he may have had a debt to his friend, he had agreed to help transport the devices “from one place to another”.
The judge said : “You may have had a limited role but I am not dissatisfied you don’t fall within the category of being dangerous so I don’t see any distinction between you and Hammill.” Afterwards, a spokesman for PSNI Serious Crime Branch welcomed the sentences, saying the length showed “those individuals convicted of serious terrorist offences can expect to lose their liberty for a considrable time”. “These improvised devices were designed to function as anti-personel grenades and were probably intended to be used to attack police or other members of the security forces,” he said. “The nails, nuts and bolts inside would have caused serious injuries or worse to anyone in the vicinity of these devices exploding. “There is no doubt that the actions of police in this case have protected their colleagues and the public from serious injury or death.”
With many thanks to : Irish News.
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- Dungannon man jailed for transporting pipe bombs (newsletter.co.uk)
- Officers to Give Evidence on Psni/ruc ‘Bid to Sabotage Appeal’ ! (seachranaidhe1.wordpress.com)
- Dissidents Jailed Over Grenades Find (belfastdaily.co.uk)
- Security Force Surveillance of Justice Group (seachranaidhe1.wordpress.com)
BLAST BOMB ATTACK ON PSNI IN DERRY !!!
THE PSNI in Derry have climed they came under sustained petrol and blast bomb attack in Derry.
Over the weekend the PSNI/RUC have containued to wreak the homes of known members of 32 CSM & RNU members.
Police officers in Derry had a narrow escape after a bomb was thrown at them 48 hours before the Olympic flame is taken to the city.
The Police Service of Northern Ireland patrol came under attack around 5pm on Saturday as they were carrying out a raid in connection to serious crime.
A police armoured car was badly damaged in the explosion but no officers inside the vehicle were injured.
PSNI’s commander, Inspector Jon Burrows, condemned those behind the attack in the Rathmore Park area of the city.
“It is only by sheer good fortune that we do not have a fatality on our hands, as this attack occurred in a built-up residential area,” he said.
“My officers should be allowed to carry out their duties without the added pressure of misguided individuals intent on causing them harm.”
Following the explosion, a number of youths attacked the police vehicle with stones, the PSNI said.
Dissident republicans have been active in Derry in recent years, with theReal IRA having a number of terror units in the city.
The city has also witnessed a huge upsurge in shootings, beatings and expulsions of young men who have crossed the armed vigilante group, Republican Action Against Drugs.WITH MANY THANKS TO:
POLICE OFFICER’S WIDOW READY TO MEET MOTHER OF HIS KILLER !
THE widow of murdered PSNI officer Stephen Carroll last night agreed to an offer to meet with the mother of one of her husband’s killers.Kate Carroll said that she was prepared to meet Eileen McConville in the wake of her son Brendan’s conviction for the 2009 shooting.
The remarkable development came as 72-year-old Mrs McConville told The Irish News that she wished to express her ” deep condolences ” to Mrs Carroll as she offered to meet with her. Former Sinn Fein councillor Brendan McConville (41), pictured below right, was sentenced to a minimum of 25-years in prison after being found guilty of Constable Carroll’s murder in Craigavon in March 2009. His co-accused John Paul Wootton (21) received a 14-year jail term.
Last week Mrs Carroll revealed in an interveiw that she and the McConville family had acknowledged each other while seated in the public gallery during the recent trail. In appealing for a face to face meeting Mrs McConville, who believes her son is innocent, said: ” I had a brother murdered in 1977, his widow was left with five children and never got over the loss…. so I know how Mrs Carroll and her family feel.” I have thought about this many times and I would like to speak to Mrs Carroll.”
Last night Mrs Carroll said she would be prepared to take up the offer of a meeting. ” I would be happy to meet,” she said. ” I think it would heal a lot of the scars and be a big step in moving forward.” Mrs Carroll said she had also considered approaching Mrs McConville. ” I had talked to one of the officers in the case before about meeting her. ” I just wanted to explain my feelings towards her. ” They have suffered a loss too,” she said. ” I am a very fair person and I will never hold someone responsible for the actions of someone else.”
The mother of a man convicted of the killing of Constable Stephen Carroll has expressed her heartfelt sorrow for the murder and said she would like to meet the policeman’s widow. Eileen McConville also condemned outright the dissident republican murder of the 48-year-old PSNI officer in Craigavon in March 2009. Earlier this month her son, former Sinn Fein councillor Brendan McConville (41), was sentenced to a minimum of 25 years in jail after being foung guilty of the shooting. His co-accused John Paul Wooton – who was 17 at the time of the murder – was sentenced to 14 years.His sentence has been referred to the Court of Appeal following complaints that it was too lenient.
Constable Carroll’s widow Kate revealed in an interveiw last week that she and the McConville family had acknowledged each other while seated in the public gallery during the lengthy trail.” They probably are devasted. They didn’t come for the sentencing. I am not gloating at their son and Wootton being sentenced,” Mrs Carroll said. Speaking yesterday from their home in Craigavon McConville’s elderly parents said they nooded to the grieving widow because they wanted to pass on their condolences. ” My heart goes out to her. She lost her husband and we have felt that way from the first day we heard of the shooting, even before Brendan was arrested,” Mrs McConville said.” From day one we have felt really, really sorry for her.
” I had a brother murdered in 1977. His widow was left with five childern and she never got over the loss. ” My own mother never got over it so I know how Mrs Carroll and her family feel. ” We want to express our condolences and say that we totally condemn the murder of Mr Carroll in the strongest possible terms, just like we would condemn any murder. ” As a family we have no time for that sort of thing.” I have thought about this many times and I would like to speak to Mrs Carroll. ” I don’t think anyone has the right to take a life, anyone’s life no matter who or what they are. ” And I really want to get that acros, to tell her that we are really sorry for her loss – but also that Brendan didn’t do it.”
Speaking about the trail Mrs McConville said she was keen to get across to Mr Carroll’s widow that they were there to support their youngest son and did not agree with the murder of her husband. ” We went a few times at the start. We were there the first day and Mrs Carroll sat behind us all of those time,” Mrs McConville said. ” We did nod to her and acknowledge her because we wanted her to realise that we felt for her too, being there in court in those awful circumstances.”
The trial of Brendan McConville for the killing of constable Stephen Carroll – the first member of the PSNI to be murdered since the organisation changed name – attracted global attention. Eileen McConville and her husband William went to Belfast Crown Court on a number of occasions. However the two pensioners found it too difficult to sit through the entire trial. The Court was originally told that a special British army intelligence unit had attached a tracking system to Wotton’s car prior to the shooting. The prosecution argued that this showed the vehicle was close to the scene at the time of the murder.
However, it later emerged that the tracking device had been ” WIPED” and that data from the hours after the killing was lost. Three soldiers gave evidence anonymously but failed to explain how the data was deleted from the device. Solicitor Peter Corrigan of Kevin Winters & Co confirmed this week that he is preparing an appeal of the judgement. Mrs McConville said she believes that her son is innocent.” People only see a fraction of what is reported if there had of been a jury trail it would have been thrown out it would never have even made it as far as it did”, she said. ” I’m 72-years-old now. If Brendan was to serve 25 years me and my husband will never see him out. ” He has two children aged 17 and 16 and we worry about them as well.” I would like politicians and the justice minister to please just take the time to read through the evidence to see just what Brendan was convicted on. ” They had to get someone for the murder and he was the first person that came to hand.”
The murder trail also heard identification evidence from a witness known only as ” M ” , who has since gone into a witness protection programme. ” We had never heard tell of him before that day,” Mrs McConville said. ” Brendan never knew him, had never met him. ” He said he knew Brendan from he was a nipper but that couldn’t be right because we never even lived in Craigavon when he was young. ” He’s not even his age.
He wasn’t in school with him or anything. ” You just have to hope that the appeal court judges will be fair and go on the evidence in front of them. ” I would also call on human rights organisations and international justice groups to take time to read through the evidence that was presented at Brendan’s trail. ” If it was my loved one or family member I would like to thin that the person who did it would be locked up rather than an innocent person be convicted. ” We know Brendan didn’t do it and that’s not justice, not for Mrs Carroll or anyone else.”
WITH THANKS TO : ALLISON MORRIS, IRISH NEWS.
Related articles
- Widow to meet killer’s parents (bbc.co.uk)
- ‘I didn’t even get a chance to say goodbye’ says widow of Stephen Carroll, policeman gunned down in Northern Ireland (thisislondon.co.uk)
- Two guilty of Constable Carroll’s murder (seachranaidhe1.wordpress.com)
- Convictions of McConville and Wootten Unsafe: ILDC (seachranaidhe1.wordpress.com)
- UK & World News: Two IRA dissidents jailed for 25 and 14 years over murder of police officer Stephen Carroll (dailyrecord.co.uk)
Statement from Cógus POWs, Maghaberry Prison 25/05/2012
On the 1st July 2011 Cógus POWs in Maghaberry embarked upon a “Dirty-protest”. We did so after months of watching the Prison service and David Ford eroding the hard fought for 12th August Agreement. Both had been warned for months that their actions or lack off would force the prisoners hand and we urged the Prison service to work within the framework of the 12th August agreement.
It was a protest we didn’t embark upon lightly as we knew that our actions would bear heavily on our families, it would deflect republicans from the overall struggle outside and would have a physical and emotional impact on ourselves. However to do nothing would have put republican prisoners conditions in a deplorable situation, so with the sacrifices of republican prisoners before us as a beacon, we began a new stage in prison struggle.
The Crux of our angst is the deliberate misrepresentation of the 12th August agreement by the NIPS and the failure of the DOJ and its head David Ford to face down the naysayers, who are reluctant to penal reform and change simply because republican prisoners are the lightning rods of that proposed change. Republican POWs believed that strip-searching and controlled movement was fully addressed in the August 2011 agreement. Sadly rather than embracing the opportunities of the agreement and taking the opportunity to show pragmatism, the NIPS reverted back to their usual dogmatic and rigid policies.
When it was clear that POWs and the DOJ/NIPS were at loggerheads over strip-searching and controlled movement, as it had been pointed out to them on numerous occasions during the circular conversations that passed as the new “forum”. The POWs showed vision and a willingness to promote the agreement and to iron out issues of contention. On the issue of strip-searching pows offered to strip down to their underwear and shake their own under garments, this was the standard and accepted approach to strip-searching in Long Kesh right up to the point of closure in 2000. This proposal was rejected by the prison service that embarked upon a regime of brutal and sexually degrading strip searches of passive republican prisoners.
We began to passively refuse to co-operate with strip-searches while entering and exiting Maghaberry, the response from the prison service was to send a full riot unit into the cells holding us waiting to attend court or hospital. We were charged and pinned to the wall with a shield, then dragged to the floor by screws in full riot gear at all times they applied their knuckles behind our ears as pressure points and twisted our arms and hands into painful locks. They ripped our clothes and underpants from our bodies and then after searching them, through them back at us and exited the cell laughing. This is what David Ford; the so called champion of human rights turns a blind eye to in “his prison”.
Ten months into the “dirty-protest” has seen our health suffer badly as our protest continues. Our cells have lost all natural light as the walls and ceilings are covered in excrement, we are on 23 hour lockup and have to eat and sleep in our own waste. We suffer infections and some men have needed hospital treatment. Our cells are hosed down every six weeks and we are returned to our cells, the process for us starts over again, our long hair and beards are a public testament to Maghaberry visitors that all isn’t well in the “North’s most modern and secure prison”
Ten months into our protests and our refusal to co-operate with strip-searches seen David Ford finally accept what we and others had been saying all along. That technology existed that made strip-searching for the most part redundant in prisons. He accepted a recommendation from Dame Anne Owers to explore alternatives to “full body searching”. Over one and a half million pounds has been spent by the NIPS managing the republican prisoners protest, months of hardship and relationships destroyed in the short to medium term that could have been avoided with common sense and a desire to have a harmonised regime in Roe House.
On the 3rd May 2012 David Ford announced that he was introducing a pilot scheme of two x-ray style machines in Hydebank wood prison and in Magilligan prison. He didn’t say how long the pilot scheme would last or how quickly if accepted it could be installed in Maghaberry. When pushed on this issue Ford has been deliberately vague and ambiguous. There is no doubting that we as protesting POWs have won the argument on the futility of strip-searching in modern times. However without a clear timeline or tight framework to work from our efforts could be placed on the notorious backburner that exists within Maghaberry and our forced strip-searching and controlled movement would be left back in the hands of the NIPS, that is a position we will never accept.
In an effort to defuse tensions and to allow space to watch developments in the pilot scheme, Cógus pows through the independent facilitators informed the NIPS on the 7th May 2012, that if they suspended all strip-searches across Maghberry (as they had done for eight weeks after the 12th august agreement to allow time to install the boss-chair) That Cógus pows would suspend their protest. This offer was refused. On Thursday 10th May 2012 Cógus pows again offered to suspend the protest if the prison service would agree to pows coming down to their under-pants and shaking them ourselves, the prison service response was to offer not to have the search team forcibly strip us and that two prison officers in standard uniform would remove our clothing and that we would pull our underpants elastic out and allow a screw to look down.
We have been attacked and degraded by thugs in uniforms for almost one year now, we would not allow ourselves to be criminalised nor would we allow ourselves to be humiliated with their “latest offer” it was flatly rejected. No one can say that republican prisoners haven’t shown pragmatism or vision, we have no desire to be on protest for protest sake, however as we have shown in this communication, NIPS intransigence is fully to blame for the situation that prevails in Maghaberry today.
On Thursday 23th May 2012 Cógus pows have increased our protest, we slopped out onto the landings as the screws opened up for the morning unlock, the response has been to bring in extra cleaning materials and the screws have spread cat litter all over the landings, we intend in the coming weeks to enhance our protest further, if the NIPS believe that dialogue was or is a sign of weakness our actions now will show them that rather than burning out the protest, our intentions is to increase it. The Door isn’t shut however and if the prison service or Ford is serious about progress they need to act! Not talk! To show their sincerity in moving out of prison conflict.
Can we finish by thanking our families and supporters for your unswerving support, without it our struggle would be impossible…signed Cógus POW rep
POSTED ON BEHALF OF : 
Rnu Belfast
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- Life as a protesting republican prisoner in Maghaberry (seachranaidhe1.wordpress.com)
- [R . S . F news] Provo MLAs act as jailers (seachranaidhe1.wordpress.com)
- Report on MagHaberry for UNHRW (seachranaidhe1.wordpress.com)
- HMP Maghaberry- Civil rights founder calls for fact-finding mission (seachranaidhe1.wordpress.com)
- Prison union calls for strip searches rethink (seachranaidhe1.wordpress.com)
Novena to St Maximilian Kolbe for Irish POW…s, every month on the 10th *also for civilians being persecuted by the PSNI*
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wherever you are
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♥ Saint Maximilian Kolbe, your life of love and labor for souls was sacrificed amid the horrors of a concentration camp and hastened to its end by an injection of a deadly drug. O Lord Jesus Christ, Who said, “greater love than this no man has that a man lay down his life… for his friends,” through the intercession of Saint Maximilian Kolbe whose life illustrated such love, we beseech Thee to grant us our petitions.• Redeeming God, we lift up all those who are incarcerated, please protect them from abuse.
• Let Your Perfect Justice cut through and aid them now.
• Let them be charged so they can have a hearing & trial or let them be released.
• Give them faith and love to sustain them in disappointment.
• Strengthen their will and courage to face their everyday struggles.
• Ever loving Jesus, may this cross of wrongful judgment be lifted from those to whom it does not belong, please help them to gain their freedom quickly and legally.
***We also pray special protection for Irish civilians who are undergoing persecution at the hands of the PSNI. Watch over them, especially their little ones who are not spared from vicious threats***St Maximilian gave up his life for a total stranger in the concentration camp and loved his persecutors, giving us an example of unselfish love for all men — a love that was inspired by true devotion to Mary.Grant, O Lord Jesus, that we too may give ourselves entirely without reserve to the love and service of our Heavenly Queen in order to better love and serve our fellow man in imitation of Thy humble servant, Saint Maximilian.
Amen
POSTED ON BEHALF OF : Public event · By Sealbhaigh Ceiteach Childs
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- Novena to St Maximilian Kolbe for Irish POWs, every month on the 10th (seachranaidhe1.wordpress.com)
- Novena to St. Maximilian Kolbe for Irish POWs, every Month on the 10th (faktensucher.wordpress.com)
- Decree issued on Nov. 11 establishing Parish of St. Maximilian Kolbe (gloucestercitynews.net)
- “His heroic love is a shining example of successful presence of God… (insightscoop.typepad.com)
A Prayerful Heart – St. Bernadette Soubirous, 1844-1879
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.204522672958474.48853.121944477882961&type=3
O Jesus! Release all my affections and draw them upwards. Let my crucified heart sink forever into yours and bury itself in the mysterious wound made by the entry of the lance.
Benefit for Irish Republican Political Prisoners
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Sunday, 29 April 2012
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14:00 until 18:00 in EDT
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Support the Families of Irish Republican Political Prisoners! Republican Prisoners have been on protest since May of last year over the issues of forced strip searches and free association (issues ten of our greatest Irishmen died for in 1981). They were not criminals in 1981 and they are not criminals now! Help support the families of those in British prisons for their Irish Republican values. Come out and learn more about what’s happening in Ireland.
$10 at the door – Buffet, Bodhran Raffle and live entertainment from singer Raymond Coleman.
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This Bodhran was made in Portlaoise Gaol by Irish Republican Political Prisoners, it will be raffled off for the benefit of their dependents. Tix $1
POSTED ON BEHALF OF : Invite-Only Event · By Jim Lockhart.
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- Life as a protesting republican prisoner in Maghaberry (seachranaidhe1.wordpress.com)
- Sign up to Ireland’s only petition enabled Republican Social Network (seachranaidhe1.wordpress.com)
- Free the Irish Marian Price (seachranaidhe1.wordpress.com)
- R.N.U. (Irish Socialist-Republican Political Lobby Group) (seachranaidhe1.wordpress.com)
STATMENT RELEASED FROM THE JOHN BRADY SOCIETY SCOTLAND !
The fact is that he had the money from before xmas and has numerous occasions to come up with the money. He was giving a dead line of Sunday to come across with it which is more than fair we think. He agreed to this deadline. This his fb ac…count was wiped in Sunday morning that is why we have went public he was told what would happen if he didn’t come across with it. So this is what happened we don’t want to go around blacking the name of fellow republicans but we can’t be seen as letting people away with taking money from the POWs.
POSTED ON BEHALF OF : Oglach John Brady Society
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- Family & Friends Bellaghy, have organised a white-line picket in support of the prisoners on protest in Maghaberry. (seachranaidhe1.wordpress.com)
- R.N.U. (Irish Socialist-Republican Political Lobby Group) (seachranaidhe1.wordpress.com)
- A MESSAGE FROM THE P.O.W’s – MARTIN COREY ! (seachranaidhe1.wordpress.com)
