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EAST BELFAST UVF SHOULD HANG YOUR HEADS IN SHAME
EXCLUSIVE
Loyalist museum cuRATOR IN ASTONISHING ATTACK ON on east BELFAST UVF AS COPS LAUNCH DRUG RAIDS ON CRIMINAL gang
EAST Belfast UVF have been branded coke-dealing thugs i an astonishing attack by the boss of a UVF museum in the area.
Follow this link to find out more: https://twitter.com/LynneCampbell5/status/1275686919255490562?s=20
He hit out as specialist cops busted a suspected drugs ring linked to the gang. Loyalist community worker William McCaughey, curator of a museum dedicated to the UVF, laid into the current paramilitary goons for “torturing” the Protestant people. He accused them of criminality and cocaine dealing saying they should “hang their heads in shame”.
UVF HISTORIAN SLAMS SECTARIAN TERROR GROUP FOR THE TORTURE OF PROTESTANTS AND TELLS THEM: YOU’RE COKE DEALING THUGS’
EAST Belfast UVF has been accused of “torturing the Protestant population” in the heart of East Belfast.
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Respected community worker and UVF historian William McCaughey laid into the current UVF mob who were targeted in yet another anti-drugs sting the weekend last. McCaughey is the curator of the Ballymac Museum which is smack in the heart of what has for years been the heartland of the East Belfast UVF – making the outspoken dressing down even more unusual. And his brave outburst came as police revealed on Saturday 20th June they had busted a suspected East Belfast UVF drug gang. Officers from the Paramilitary Crime Task Force announced they had searched properties in Dundonald and believe drugs and cash found were linked to the East Belfast UVF. A 40-year-old man has been charged with drug offences and two women were reported to the PPS. The Sunday World understands the raid is highly significant and is closely linked to one of the terror group’s top bosses. A top cop said afterwards the local community “utterly supports” their efforts to disrupt East Belfast UVF. Detective Inspector Hamilton said: “Paramilitaries are not defenders of their communities, instead they are criminals who pretty on vulnerable people and exploit any circumstances they can for their own gain.”
PRISONERS
And during a five-minute video posted on the Ballymac Friendship Centre’s Facebook page this week, William McCaughey (49) describes the current East Belfast UVF in less flattering terms. The clip entitled ‘Ballymac Museum Tour Part 3’ sees William, who’s listed in the credits as curator of the museum, complete his tour of the museum which largely includes artefacts collected from the Troubles. Having shown us various weapons and trinkets made in Long Kesh prison by UVF prisoners like David Ervine and Gusty Spence, he out-of-the-blue lets rip at the present day UVF. While a music box, made in Long Kesh, plays in the background he says: “It’s usually at this stage of the tour people ask me what has the East Belfast UVF got to do with the museum and my answer has to be, absolutely nothing. “Why? What has cocaine [word inedible], criminality, hiking of bills and general torture of the Protestant population, what’s that got to do with all this rich history?”
But he doesn’t stop his impassioned speech there and even tells the current East Belfast UVF criminal element they should be ashamed. He continues: “Why use them three letters [UVF] and live on the backs of the people in this museum – the Ulstermen who have defended their wee part of Ulster for hundreds of years? “Hang your heads in shame!” The video was uploaded to the museum’s Facebook page on Monday 15th June and seems to have been done to coincide with the 22nd anniversary of the murder of local UVF hero Robert ‘Squeak’ Seymour. McCaughey adds: “And from a time when East Belfast UVF were the ‘People’s Army’ – Volunteer Robert Squeak Seymour 15th June 1988.” Seymour became a UVF legend during the Troubles for murdering senior IRA man James ‘Skipper’ Burns, for which he was convicted of killing in 1981, though he was later cleared on appeal as he’d been convicted on ‘supergrass’ testimony. Until 2011, Seymour’s image featured on a mural on a gable in the nearby Ballymacarrett Road.
McCaughey’s sideswipe is being supported by many loyalists. This paper has written extensively about paramilitary drug lords in East Belfast UVF. Many of the old UVF guard have been reported to be ashamed of the actions of the current crop of paramilitary leaders. The Sunday World asked Mr McCaughey for a comment on his statement but we were told by the centre: “Unfortunately at this time William is unavailable for comment.” Sources in East Belfast say the outburst from the community worker, who was until recently was listed as a director of the Ballymac Friendship Centre, shows how sections of East Belfast have turned on the current UVF.
FEEDBACK
And the positive feedback left by supporters of the museum show many people are fed up with East Belfast UVF. The video clip has been viewed over 7,000 times and been shared 83 times and attracted completely positive comments. One person wrote: “Brilliant William, well said and very well concluded.” Another supporter wrote: “Well said you can’t be a true loyalist and a drug dealer.” Another fan commented: “Thank God someone has had the courage to speak out x.” Things have been going wrong for the East Belfast UVF for a few years but those problems have accelerated following the murder of popular community worker Ian Ogle last year. The Ballymac Museum was started after loyalists got fed up with ‘their’ history being told through the eyes of republicans. In 2015 it received just over £200,000 in public funding to have the centre refurbished.
A year later Mr McCaughey was quoted in a number of newspaper articles as he gave tours round the new museum, though he was never pictured himself. He said of the UVF memorabilia: “It’s not about glorifying anything, but it’s about the fact you shouldn’t forget about it either, it’s a part of our history here, a part of the history of this area that’s being kept alive. “There’s been Americans in and once they started to realise the conflict here was more complicated that the Irish against British, they were absolutely fasinacinated. It’s also been great for young people in the area who maybe label themselves as loyalist or whatever, but don’t really know what that means. “The history in here helps them understand what their history is. Loyalism, the term, it’s often seen in a bad light, but this is helping show there’s more to it than just the Troubles. It’s a social history and it’s important it’s not forgotten.”
A police spokesman said on Saturday June 2oth 2020 of the latest raids targeting the East Belfast UVF: “Following this proactive policing operation a quantity of suspected class A, B and C controlled drugs, cutting agent, bags and scales and a significant amount of cash were seized. “Two women are to be reported to the PPS on suspicion of drugs offences.” Detective Inspector Hamilton said: “We know that the communities most affected utterly support our ongoing efforts and want to work with us to end the harm caused by the criminal activity of paramilitaries.
” And late on Saturday June 20th 2020, the police confirmed the 40-year-old had been charged “with possession of a class A controlled drug, with intent to supply, possession of a Class B controlled drug, possession of a class C controlled drug and firearms licensing offences,” said a spokesperson. “He is due to appear at Newtownardes Magistrates Court via vidolink on Thursday July 16th 2020. As is normal procedure, all charges are reviewed by the Public Prosecution Service (PPS).”
.With many thanks to the: Sunday World and Steven Moore for the EXCLUSIVE original story – steven.moore@sundayworld.com
Follow these links to find out more: https://www.newsletter.co.uk/news/crime/anti-uvf-operation-nets-suspected-drugs-and-cutting-agent-man-charged-narcotics-and-firearms-offences-2890660
(2)-: https://www.belfastlive.co.uk/news/belfast-news/watch-paramilitary-crime-taskforce-raid-18456679
(3)-: http://www.belfastdaily.co.uk/2020/06/20/man-held-over-east-belfast-uvf-drug-dealing-probe/
(4)-: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/amp/uk-northern-ireland-53119053
Former MI5 head warns court action over when spies can commit crimes risks exposing informants
A former head of MI5 has warned that a legal challenge against the security services over when spies are allowed to commit crimes risks exposing informants who have entrenched themselves
Campaigners begin their action in the courts on Tuesday over a document which was released last year which states undercover agents were permitted to commit crimes if they thought it was necessary.
It was signed by David Cameron, and human rights activists are demanding an inquiry into the transparency of the secret services and how they conduct their operations.
But Lord Evans of Weardale, who was MI5 director general until 2013, told the BBC’s Radio 4 Today programme certain aspects of such sensitive material through the courts could put spies in danger.
Insisting that it was right that “there’s nothing wrong with bringing a case” against potential wrongdoing and that it “up to the courts to decide what the outcome would be”, he warned that some information could out informants.
He said: “One of the concerns here is that if the exact details of the parameters that are applied are made public then we’re in a situation where a terrorist group who is trying to find out if anybody is actually giving out information could set tasks for them in such a way as to be sure that if they refuse to do that task they know they are working for the intelligence services.
“Not only would that be bad for intelligence gathering, but it would also be very dangerous for the safety of the agent.”
Maya Foa, director of Reprieve – the campaign group bringing the legal action – said she wants to know “what the limits are to this policy”.
“We have only recently discovered that there has been a policy in operation for decades authorising agents of MI5 to potentially commit serious crimes including torture and unlawful killing,” she said.
“Does it mean they can torture? Does it mean they can kill people? Can we torture a five-year-old child of a suspect?”
Lord Evans dismissed the claims, and said: “This isn’t about torture, and it’s not about killing.
“If you’re going to be able to understand the nature of the details of threats to mount terrorist attacks in this country – a really important source of intelligence is humans who are part of the conspiratorial group.
“For many years, probably for decades, we’ve been in a situation where human source intelligence has been absolutely critical for keeping this country safe.”
The former head of MI5 pointed out that by infiltrating a banned group like National Action, agents are already committing a crime by merely being a member.
But pushed on whether MI5 agents are permitted to carry out a punishment beatings such as kneecapping, he said: “The rules are very clear – they are, in this game or in this process to safeguard the public and in order to keep the country safe and able to maintain the rule of law.
“So that’s the ground rules. You have to act in a proportionate way.”
He added: “There are no specific rules on exactly which crimes but there is very clear process to ensure that this is only done at a level which is appropriate, which maintains security and maintains the rule of law.”
With many thanks to: The Telegraph and Gareth Davies for original story
Follow these links to find out more: https://thebreakingnewsheadlines.com/blog/mi5-role-before-london-bridge-attack-of-legitimate-concern/
(2)-: https://www.voanews.com/europe/britains-mi5-lowers-terrorist-threat-level?amp
IRA: Former British spy says police report confirms he was shot by IRA
Martin McGartland claims 1999 murder plot was covered up to keep peace process alive
A former British agent who infiltrated the IRA says an internal police report has finally confirmed that he was targeted and shot by the group in a murder plot that he alleges was covered up by the government.
The Guardian has seen a copy of a review by three forces into Northumbria police’s investigation of the 1999 attempted murder of Martin McGartland.
McGartland was recruited by the RUC special branch to infiltrate and undermine the Belfast IRA in the late 1980s. His exploits were later turned into the film Fifty Dead Men Walking starring Jim Sturgess and Ben Kingsley.
The police document is a “major crime unit investigation review” by the Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire forces.
Its findings appear to support McGartland’s claims over the past two decades that the IRA rather than a local north-eastern criminal gang was behind the murder attempt in Whitley Bay on 17 June 1999.
In the days, weeks and months after McGartland was shot and seriously wounded, both Northumbria police and the then Labour government refused to confirm that the IRA was responsible.
McGartland, along with unionist politicians at the time, alleged that the truth was covered up to keep the IRA and Sinn Féin wedded to the fledgling post Good Friday agreement peace process.
In their review, the three constabularies led by Jon Boutcher, the ex-Bedfordshire chief constable and head of another multimillion investigation into another army spy in the IRA – Stake Knife – concluded that republican paramilitaries did try to kill McGartland.
Among 60 recommendations to the Northumbria police regarding the McGartland shooting, the police forces suggest: “That Northumbria police must make a formal media release acknowledging the re-investigation of the attempted murder of Mr McGartland. This should be underpinned by a public statement that the original shooting was most likely associated with Mr McGartland’s background within the IRA and having acted as an agent of the security services within the republican areas of Belfast and was carried out by a paramilitary active service unit.”
The report also dismisses any suggestion that the shooting was connected to a dispute between McGartland and drug dealers in north-east England. McGartland has always alleged that this line of inquiry was “invented and fed” to media sources by either MI5 or elements of the Blair government to deflect from the IRA’s role in the botched assassination.
“The review has not uncovered any credible evidence of a specific threat to the victim at the hands of ‘local criminals’ or indeed that gives any indication of this being related to any of the victim’s business, his work or his private life within the locality,” the report says.
In addition to calling for a fresh investigation into the 1999 attack on McGartland, the review suggests that “NP (Northumbria police) to consider external force to progress investigation in its entirety”.
Furthermore, it recommends that “key roles” in that fresh investigation “should be filled by persons not connected to NP (Northumbria police)”.
The report also appears to suggest that the IRA line of inquiry was known to the Northumbria police in the immediate aftermath of the shooting.
“Most critically, he (an officer named only as Police R by the review) was of the considered view that the attack was most likely carried out by the Provisional IRA and that this fact was known to the original SIO (senior investigations officer) within a very short timeframe following the attack. He (Police R) would offer no explanation as to why this had not been acknowledged much earlier within the investigation, and that this remained as a significant issue between the victim and the police,” the report says.
McGartland told the Guardian that this finding in particular proved that from the outset officers in Northumbria police knew that the IRA was behind the shooting. The ex-spy insisted this line was “covered up and obscured by false, malicious lies” by senior figures in the security and political establishment to conceal the IRA’s role at a delicate stage in the peace process.
On the report’s main findings, McGartland said: “I am now urging the current chief constable of Northumbria police to immediately admit and acknowledge that the IRA had been behind my June 1999 attempted murder. I am also calling on him to swiftly agree to an external police force to carry out my unsolved attempted murder investigation. I have absolutely no trust, faith or confidence in Northumbria police nor its crime department or any of its chief or senior officers when it concerns me and my cases.”
A spokesperson for Northumbria police said: “We can confirm this case has remained open since the shooting in 1999. Following a recent review, the force are investing a significant and dedicated resource into progressing the investigation.
“The classification of the incident is currently under further review.”
The Northumbria police at this stage however has declined to confirm or deny that the van believed to have been used by the gang that shot McGartland has since been destroyed.
On the wider implications of the report’s findings, McGartland added: “The Northumbria police knew the IRA had been behind my shooting, that they acted in consort with MI5, the Home Office and the then Blair Labour government (and subsequent governments) covered it up to protect not only the IRA as an organisation but the individual IRA members who tried to murder me. And this was done as part of a secret deal between police, security service and government as a result of the Good Friday peace agreement.”
In 1999 McGartland was shot six times by two gunmen outside his home in Whitley Bay, North Tyneside.
Eight years earlier the Belfast-born agent became the only person ever to escape from the IRA’s notorious internal mole hunting unit, the so-called “Headhunters” or “Nutting Squad”.
McGartland dived out of a third storey flat in west Belfast where the IRA were holding him before he was to be handed over to the head of the Provisionals’ security team which was led by a man named Stake Knife, one of Britain’s most important agents inside the republican terror group.
With many thanks to: The Guardian and Henry McDonald for the original story
Follow these links to find out more: https://youtu.be/1NtCYswQkI4
(3)-: https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/ex-hitman-reveals-asked-kill-14185639
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