Suspect to appear at Derry court of house raids in the city

He is expected to appear at Derry Magistrates’ Court today, Tuesday, December 17, for a first remand hearing.

As is normal procedure, all charges will be reviewed by the Public Prosecution Service.

The charges relate to recent incidents, including burglary, in the Coshquin Road area of Derry.

Police were called to reports of two burglaries in the Coshquin Road area during the night of Saturday 14 and the morning of Sunday, December 15.

Detective Constable McDonald said: “It was reported, early on Sunday morning, that entry had been forced to two houses in the Coshquin Road area.

“Money and jewellery were among the items stolen from the two properties.

“Keys to a car were also taken during the intrusion, and a subsequent attempt was made – on Sunday night – to steal the actual vehicle.

“This has been a distressing experience for all of the victims concerned.”

John

Liam Whoriskey sentenced to 15 years at Derry Crown Court. (North West Newspix)

The Belfast Telegraph reports that Liam Whoriskey has instructed his legal defence team to lodge appeal papers with the Court of Appeal in Belfast.

The waiter has 28 days after sentence to lodge an appeal against his conviction.

On Monday, the 25-year-old has handed a total sentence of 15 years for the manslaughter of the three-year-old and child cruelty.

Whoriskey, Glenabbey Gardens in the Skeoge area of the city, maintains his innocence of the toddler’s brutal death.

He was found guilty in October by a jury of the manslaughter of Kayden McGuinness and one charge of child cruelty.

The three year old was found dead in his bed in his family flat at Colmcille Court in the Bogside in Derry in September 2017.

A week earlier, Whoriskey had got engaged to the child’s mother Erin McLaughlin

Whoriskey will serve half of his sentence in prison and the other half on licence.

Sentencing, Recorder of Derry Judge Phillip Babington said he was aware the case had generated a lot of emotion.

Three year old Kayden McGuinness died as a result of blunt force trauma injuries to his head caused by Liam Whoriskey

The judge also said the acts leading to the unlawful killing of the toddler were not isolated and that the defendant’s behaviour illustrated he had a propensity for aggression and violence in a domestic setting.

Judge Babington said he had read victim impact statements from Kayden’s mother and Kathleen McGuinness, the toddler’s grandmother, and it was clear both were devastated.

Kayden McGuinness’ mother Erin McLaughlin, who was in the public gallery, left the court sobbing at the point when the judge began reading out her son’s injuries.

The judge said the court could only express its sympathy, as any sentence imposed on the defendant paled into insignificance when contrasted with the fact a very young child had died.

The mother of baby Kayden McGuinness, Erin McLaughlin arriving at Derry Courthouse in October (North West Newspix)

Whoriskey has also been barred from residing in the same place as a child under 18 years old or having any unsupervised contact with a child.

After the case, PSNI Detective Inspector Peter McKenna said: “Kayden was just three years old when his young life was brutally ended. He was violently attacked by Liam Whoriskey, a man who had been trusted to look after him and take care of him.

“Whoriskey has been sentenced to fifteen years imprisonment for child cruelty and the manslaughter of Kayden.

“Nothing will ever take away the pain felt by Kayden’s family and as we approach Christmas time, this will be even more difficult for them.

“Their lives have been destroyed and Kayden’s parents have had their beautiful little boy cruelly taken away from them in the worst way imaginable.

“Kayden’s little sister was just five months old when her little brother died and she has to grow up without her big brother.

“Whoriskey’s actions meant that she never got the chance to know him.

The mother of baby Kayden McGuinness, Erin McLaughlin arriving at Derry Courthouse in October (North West Newspix)

“She left the house late, as she always put her children to bed and tucked them in and this night was to be no different.

“As she left, she gave her little boy three kisses and told him how much she loved him. Having met the whole family, I know that this was how they all felt about Kayden – they all doted on him.

“Throughout this, Whoriskey has shown no remorse. At the time of Kayden’s death, he was being assessed for Autism.

“Woriskey would have known that this three year old child, already vulnerable by his age and with some communication difficulties, would never have been able to explain what happened to him had he survived.

“Woriskey’s attack left Kayden with a number of injuries including a large number of bruises and bleeding over the surface of his brain, caused by blows to the head.

“When he was questioned about Kayden’s injuries by police, Whoriskey denied causing them.

Three year old Kayden McGuinness died as a result of blunt force trauma injuries to his head caused by Liam Whoriskey

“Whilst I have stood here and condemned Whoriskey for his despicable actions, I do not want that to be the final word that people remember.

“I want people to remember the little boy who, in his family’s words, was a smiling, happy and loveable child,” added DI McKenna.

John

SDLP Leader Colum Eastwood MP has said that plans to introduce an effective amnesty for British Soldiers who committed heinous crimes in the North of Ireland will be opposed at Westminster by a coalition of MPs standing up for the rights of victims and survivors.

It has been speculated that the amnesty plans drafted by Prime Minister Boris Johnson could be unveiled today in the British Queen’s speech to Parliament in London.

Soldier F is facing two murder charges and five of attempted murder over Bloody Sunday in January 1972.

Speaking from Westminster this morning, the Foyle MP said: “This Conservative Government is obsessed with the idea of granting amnesty to soldiers who committed grievous wrongs and heinous crimes in Northern Ireland.

“Not only is it an affront to victims and survivors who lost loved ones at the hands of British Army personnel, any attempt to change the law will grant effective immunity to members of paramilitary organisations who murdered and maimed people in our communities.

“There is nothing vexatious about seeking truth, justice and accountability for those who lost loved ones.

“The threshold for criminal prosecution is itself a check on the exercise of legal powers.

“Those brought before the courts do not face charges on a whim, it’s the result of gathered evidence and a determination by the independent PPS that a prosecution is in the public interest.

“I am sick of the myth that former soldiers are being pursued for nothing – these are serious crimes with a substantial body of evidence.

“Uniform should offer no shield to accountability before the law. The sensitive balance of legacy investigations and institutions should not be offset by headline grabbing promises from a militaristic government.

“The SDLP successfully derailed similar proposals from Peter Hain, backed by Sinn Féin.

“The legacy of our past must be dealt with comprehensively and ethically.

“We will oppose any proposals aimed at erasing the ability of victims and survivors to access truth, justice and accountability,” added Mr Eastwood.

John

Man to fact court over assault on victim in Limavady

He is to appear at Antrim Magistrates’ Court today, Christmas Eve, Tuesday, December 24, for a first remand hearing.

As is normal procedure, all charges will be reviewed by the Public Prosecution Service.

The charge is in connection with an assault on a man in Limavady on Monday, December 23.

Police were called to Coolessan Walk, Limavady. at about 4:10 am yesterday.

Detectives believe the victim, who is in his 20s, was injured in a fight in the garden.

He was taken to hospital where he has received treatment to his injuries.

John

Three to face Derry court on charges linked to assault on male in the city on New Year’s Eve

A 22-year-old woman has been charged with assisting offenders.

All three are due to appear at Derry Magistrates’ Court today, Thursday, January 2, for a first remand hearing.

As is normal procedure, all charges will be reviewed by the Public Prosecution Service.

The charges are in connection with an incident in the Great James Street area of Derry on New Year’s Eve, Tuesday, December 31.

The victim of the attack was taken to hospital for his injuries, which are not believed to life threatening.

John

Three people remanded in custody at Derry court over stab attack on vulnerable man in the city on New Year’s Eve

The Belfast Telegraph reports that three people, including a 16-year-old boy, faced Derry Magistrates’ Court today, Thursday, January 2, charged with offences linked to the stabbing of a man at a block of flats in the city on December 31.

The court heard the stabbing incident was captured on CCTV at a flat complex in Derry where the victim and a number of the defendants lived.

Unemployed 30-year-old Jonathan Desmond Gibson, of Crawford Square, is jointly charged with the teenager of wounding with intent to do grievous bodily harm.

They are also jointly charged with possessing a knife with intent to do grievous bodily harm.

It relates to an incident in the Great James Street on Tuesday night.

Also in the dock was 22-year-old Nikita Brogan, who lives in the same block of flats where the incidents allegedly happened.

She is charged with assisting offenders by allegedly using tissues and a spray can to clean up blood at the scene.

A detective constable from Strand Road CID opposed all three being released on bail.

He told District Judge Barney McElholm that the victim also lived in the same block of flats.

The PSNI officer said CCTV footage from the flats complex depicted a total of three attempts to stab the victim in the back, four attempts to stab him in the left leg and three bids to slash him in the face.

As a result of the incident, the victim suffered a stab wound to his back which punctured his lung, one to his left leg and two slashes to his face.

The court heard police were alerted to the scene by an ambulance crew, who treated the victim at the scene before taking him to Altnagelvin Hospital.

When a police response crew arrived they arrested the two males as they attempted to walk away from the flats complex.

They found the victim inside the flat complex sitting in his flat bleeding profusely from stab wounds.

The police witness said CCTV footage showed the defendant Gibson armed with a knife and attacking the victim on three separate occasions.

It also showed the juvenile defendant punching the victim as well as the defendant Brogan cleaning up pools of blood.

The footage also showed the victim holding a hammer throughout the incident.

The investigating detective said the footage showed the defendant Gibson engaging in three stabbing motions as he chased the victim up three flights of stairs. He said Gibson had taken part in three separate frenzied attacks on the victim.

During police interview after his arrest, Gibson said he had acted in self-defence after the victim had threatened all three defendants with the hammer.

The defendant Gibson also identified himself on the CCTV footage.

District Judge McElolm remanded all three in custody.

They will appear back in court on separate dates later this month for a further remand hearing.

Said the judge: “This man Gibson was certainly the prime mover in this incident. He is the person who actually did the stabbing.”

Mr McElholm remarked that he knew the victim to be a vulnerable man.

He said he also knew that the defendant Gibson, who has been diagnosed with mental health issues, had stopped taking his medication before the incident “probably because of something he read on Google posted by some lunatic”.

John

Man to face court over ‘reckless’ arson attack on Co Derry house

The 58 year old was arrested on Sunday as part of the probe into the attack on the house in the Ard na Smoll area of Dungiven.

He has now been charged with arson with intent to endanger life.

Detective Sergeant Wallace said: “We continue to appeal for information about this fire, which occurred at a house in Ard na Smoll.

“The fire was reported to us at approximately 11:40 pm on Friday.

“No injuries were reported, however, the blaze caused significant damage to the property.

“I want to appeal to anyone who saw any suspicious activity in Ard na Smoll, around 11:30 pm on Friday night, including persons or vehicles, on Friday night to get in touch with detectives in Coleraine on 101, and quote reference number 2190 of 03/01/20.”

Alternatively, information can also be provided to the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 which is 100% anonymous and gives people the power to speak up and stop crime.”

John

OFFICERS from Derry City and Strabane District Support Team have charged two men aged 28 and 38, and a woman aged 24, with a number of drugs related offences.

These include possession of a class A drug with intent to supply, possession of a class C drug with intent to supply, being concerned in the supply of a class A drug and possessing criminal property.

All three were charged to appear at Derry Magistrates’ Court on Friday 10th January.

As is normal procedure all charges are reviewed by the PPS.

It is understood the charges relate to an investigation in which drugs were being posted to Northern Ireland from England.

A number of searches were carried out and the three arrests made in Birmingham on Wednesday 8th January.

Approximately £250,000 of controlled drugs were also seized.

John

The horrific injuries sustained by the taxi driver

At approximately 1.00 am the taxi driver picked up a fare in the Abercorn Square area of Strabane and took him to Glebe Gardens where the male passenger proceeded to assault the taxi driver and cause damage to his vehicle.

The injured man was taken to hospital for treatment to his injuries.

On Tuesday, January 14, police said that detectives have charged the teenager with grievous bodily harm with intent, making off without payment and criminal damage.

The suspect is due to appear at Omagh Magistrates’ Court this morning for a first remand hearing.

The owner of the taxi firm Street Cabs Streetcars Strabane Paddy McLaughlin has put up a reward over the vicious assault on one of his drivers.

He posted on Facebook: “At approximately 1.15 am on Monday morning, one of our drivers lifted a fare in Strabane town and was instructed to take the fare to The Glebe area of Sion Mills.

“On arrival at an address in The Glebe, our driver was viciously attacked by the male he was driving to this destination, and the horrifying outcome of this attack is plain for all to see.

“The nature of attacks such as this and others have no place in our society. We work in a difficult industry at the best of times, and the financial gain is petty in return.

“Attacks such as this are no different to attacks on medical staff or emergency service providers.

“We work alone and too many times we are exposed to certain threats that remain between the driver and the fare.

“I personally have decided to put up a cash reward to anyone with information on this brutal attack.

“Although this happened at 1.15 am, it took place in a built up area and I’m certain it was witnessed by someone in the park concerned. Any information submitted to me will be treated with anonymity.

“I wish to offer our driver a swift recovery and to relay to him that the thoughts of everyone in our firm, and indeed most people in our town are with him and his family at this difficult time.

Patrick McLaughlin (Streetcars)

John

Taxi driver was the victim of a brutal assault

The BBC reports that Dylan McGrinder, from Glebe Gardens in Sion Mills, was remanded in custody after appearing before Omagh Magistrates’ Court today, Tuesday, January 14.

It is alleged the 18-year-old attacked the driver, who worked for Streetcars Strabane, damaged the vehicle and left without paying the fare.

Bail was opposed by police as no suitable address was provided for the defendant.

The court heard the driver was “very seriously injured” by the attack which allegedly happened around three miles into the journey after a passenger was picked up in Abercorn Square in Strabane.

It is also claimed that a side panel and a wing mirror of the taxi were damaged.

McGrinder spoke only to confirm he understood the charges of unlawfully and maliciously inflicting grievous bodily harm with intent, as well as making off without paying for a taxi fare.

A defence solicitor said he would be seeking bail and drew attention to his client’s age.

Teen remanded in custody at Omagh Magistrates’ Court over brutal attack on taxi driver

The defendant was remanded in custody to appear before Strabane Magistrates’ Court via video-link on a future date.

John

High Court hears woman cleaned up blood at flats in Derry after man was assaulted

Prosecutors claimed on Wednesday that Nikita Brogan emerged with spray and tissues following a knife attack on the man at their block of flats on Great James Street.

The 22-year-old aces a charge of assisting two offenders who are accused of wounding offences.

Police called to the scene found the alleged victim sitting on a sofa, covered in blood and being treated by paramedics.

The man claimed he had been attacked by two males who he did not know, but had been drinking with.

He was taken to hospital for treatment to a stab wound to his back which punctured a lung, a leg injury and facial slashes.

Crown lawyer Breige Gilmore said CCTV footage showed him approaching Brogan’s flat earlier that night with a hammer in his hand.

She contended that following an altercation he was pursued by the two co-accused.

One of them allegedly punched the man several times, while the other appears to repeatedly stab him as he tied to get into his own apartment.

Counsel claimed the footage then shows Brogan leaving her flat with a spray bottle and tissues or toilet roll.

“She is seen cleaning up the blood on the stairs and landing,” Ms Gilmore said.

During police interviews Brogan said she had been drinking when the complainant appeared at her door holding a hammer.

She claimed that she panicked and retreated inside, emerging five minutes later to see blood outside the man’s flat.

Ms Gilmore went on: “She said she wasn’t told to clean up the blood, she did it because it was messy and no other reason.”

Opposing her application for bail, the barrister told the court: “This applicant lives in the same complex as the victim, and he is viewed as a vulnerable adult.”

Defence counsel Richard McConkey argued that Gilmore’s alleged role in the incident was “peripheral”.

His client was not involved in any attempt at a forensic clean-up, Mr McConkey insisted.

With Brogan seeking to be released to live in Letterkenny, Co Donegal, Mrs Justice Keegan adjourned the application.

She gave the prosecution one week to consider a proposed address and monitoring arrangements with the Gardai in Letterkenny.

John

A CORONER has said he is “deeply concerned” about the growing number of drugs-related deaths in Derry.

Patrick McGurgan made the comments during an Inquest into the death of Teresa Duffy who was found dead in her flat at Abercorn Road on November 10, 2018.

The 32-year-old tragically died from an accidental overdose.

Mr McGurgan told hearing at Bishop’s Street Court house it was his third drugs-related inquest in Derry in the last two weeks.

“I am very concerned about the amount of such Inquests in this city,” the coroner said.

“There is no doubt she had difficulties with drugs and unfortunately she paid for that with her life.

“This was a waste of a perfectly happy young lady who had so much to live for.

“I sincerely hope something positive follows from this tragedy which was traumatic for her family,” he added

Teresa’s mother, Susan Duffy, told the Coroner her family did not want other families to suffer the death of a family member in such circumstances.

“If our tragedy helps another family then the life of my daughter Teresa will have achieved something.

“People just don’t understand the absolute devastation such a death causes,” she said.

John

James Wray (left) and William McKinney murdered by British soldier on Bloody Sunday in Derry in January 1972

The man, known only as Soldier F, faces two counts of murder and five of attempted murder.

The veteran, now aged in his sixties, was not in Derry Magistrates’ court for a brief hearing on Friday.

He is charged with the murders of James Wray and William McKinney in 1972.

The court heard that the groundwork had been laid for the committal hearing and authorities were moving towards a date being set.

District judge Barney McElholm said dates for the hearing were being looked at and a suitable venue also had to be determined.

More than 20 relatives of the two men sat quietly in the public gallery for the short hearing.

Four of the attempted murder charges relate to the wounding of Joseph Friel, Michael Quinn, Joe Mahon and Patrick O’Donnell.

The fifth relates to persons unknown.

Judge McElholm said Derry’s court room four had its limitations in terms of accommodation and acoustics.

He added that people needed to be able to hear what was going on and said there were also security considerations.

He said “I’m afraid Belfast looks like the venue.”

But the district judge said he was willing to listen to representations and did not want to impose moving to proceedings to Belfast on anyone.

At an earlier hearing, it was disclosed that up to 25 witnesses could be called to give evidence in what was described as a complex case.

Thirteen people were killed and 15 wounded when members of the Army’s Parachute Regiment opened fire on civil rights demonstrators in Derry on Sunday, 30 January 1972.

The Public Prosecution Service decided in March last year that Soldier F, as he was known at the Bloody Sunday public inquiry, would be the only former soldier to be charged.

Families had asked for that ruling by the PPS to be reviewed and for more soldiers to face charges.

The hearing was adjourned until Friday, February 7.

John

Teen to face Derry Magistrates’ Court over assault in city last week

Last week PSNI Foyle said officers were aware of a video circulating on social media showing the assault of a male in the Peace Gardens close to Foyle Street in the city by a group of youths.

The incident happened at approximately 9 pm on Tuesday, January 14, 2020.

In an update today, PSNI Foyle say: “Following a recent video of an incident that occurred in the city centre which was shared on social media, we have arrested and charged a 14 year old male with a number of offences including common assault.

“The male is due to appear at Derry Magistrates’ Court today.

“We would like to take this opportunity to thank all of you who got in touch and assisted us with our enquiries.”

John

Archdeacon Robert Miller inspecting the damage to the organ at Christ Church last year. It has now been restored

Harry Duffy, 25, from Elmwod Terrace, Derry and James Anthony Kennedy, 24, from Glenside Park in the city admitted breaking into Christ Church on 12 September 2017.

The BBC reports that Derry Crown Court heard they smashed through a 19th century stained glass window.

Human excrement was smeared inside the church and on pages torn from a bible.

Judge Philip Babington said some of the damage was both shocking and disgusting.

He said there was no doubt in his mind that the effects of alcohol and drugs caused both Kennedy and Duffy to behave in the way they did.

Duffy and Kennedy were jailed for two years and eight months.

Both will serve a portion of the sentence on licence.

Both men had no previous convictions, the court was told.

Duffy and Kennedy also admitted burgling the church and stealing items including a crystal decanter, a surplice and a set of reader’s robes.

They also admitted damaging furnishings and fittings inside the church, including the church organ.

Judge Babington said their behaviour was “quite disgraceful and aggravated as it was by taking place at and within a place of worship”.

He added: “It caused very great sadness and upset to the members of Christ Church.

“It was also completely senseless, destroying as it did a 19th Century stained glass window and causing over £40,000 worth of damage to a musical instrument, the organ.”

When arrested, the court was told, Duffy admitted being in the church and defecating inside the boiler room. He apologised for what he had done.

The court heard that Kennedy was arrested in his home. Police found Facebook searches about the incident and about the church on his phone.

Judge Babington added: “Although at first glance one might wonder if there was some religious or sectarian aspect to this offending, I am quite satisfied that this is not the case.”

In a statement, Archdeacon Robert Miller, the parish’s rector and Rev Katie McAteer, the pastoral director, said they were thankful to the judge for the “sensitive manner in which he has dealt with what has, for our parishioners, been a most distressing case”.

“We take no pleasure from the significant custodial sentences handed down to the two offenders.

“We do feel, however, that actions have consequences and that all of us should be accountable for our actions before the law.”

John

The horrific injuries sustained by the taxi driver

Dylan McGrinder, 18, Glebe Gardens in Sion Mills, is accused of kicking the man to the head during the assault near Strabane, on January 13.

The court was told the victim, who worked for Streetcars in Strabane, also sustained a fractured jaw and has difficulty hearing in one ear.

He was also left with severe facial swelling and a footprint mark on his throat.

Lord Justice McCloskey said: “The injured party was the victim of a barbaric and prolonged assault.”

He added: “He found himself utterly defenceless in the circumstances, and but for his entirely fortuitous ability to get back in the taxi and close the door he may well have lost his life.”

“Medical staff have continued concerns he may lose the sight in one eye,” a Crown lawyer told the court.

Mr McGrinder is charged with causing grievous bodily harm with intent, criminal damage and making off without paying the £5 fare.

Lord Justice McCloskey was told the teenager has no memory of carrying out the assault but accepts the victim’s version of events.

The court heard Mr McGrinder was picked up at Abercorn Square in Strabane and taken to Sion Mills after failing to obtain money from a cash machine to pay for the journey.

He allegedly attacked the driver when the taxi driver suggested going to a relative to obtain cash, punching his head and face.

The prosecution said Mr McGrinder continued to kick the driver while he was on the ground.

At one point the victim managed to get back into his car and close the door just before a wing mirror was kicked off, the court was told.

Mr McGrinder told police he had drunk 10 bottles of beer and spent £80 on vodka in two bars in Strabane.

Taxi driver was the victim of a brutal assault

Despite having no recollection of the actual assault, he accepted it was probably the victim’s blood on his clothes and trainers.

Opposing bail, prosecution counsel said: “The aggression shown in this attack on a defenceless individual already working in a high-risk job over something as trivial as a £5 taxi fare would suggest the applicant, especially with drink on board, does not have the ability to control himself.”

A defence barrister acknowledged it was “an outrageous incident” involving an alleged attack on a man doing his best to get his drunken client home.

“Whilst he has no recollection of the assault he did not seek to contradict in any way (what the complainant said),” he added.

“This is a young man finding it almost impossible to rationalise his behaviour on the night and the results that has had.”

Lord Justice McCloskey adjourned the bail application.

John

Taxi driver was the victim of a brutal assault

The banning order was imposed on Dylan McGrinder as he was granted bail on allegations of repeatedly kicking the man to the head during an alcohol-fuelled attack near Strabane in the early hours of Monday,January 13.

Lord Justice McCloskey decided the 18-year-old can be released from custody despite being informed of intelligence stating: “He’s safer inside.”

McGrinder, of Glebe Gardens in Sion Mills, faces charges of causing grievous bodily harm with intent, criminal damage and making off without paying the £5 fare.

Prosecutors revealed the victim,who works for Streetcars Strabane, sustained a fractured jaw, severe facial swelling, a footprint mark on his throat, and has difficulty hearing in one ear.

Medical staff had also raised concerns that the man may lose the sight in one eye.

But in an update today a Crown lawyer confirmed there is no longer an imminent risk to the eye.

McGrinder had been picked up at Abercorn Square in Strabane and taken to Sion Mills after failing to obtain money from an ATM machine to pay for the journey, the court heard.

He allegedly became violent when the taxi driver suggested going to a relative to obtain cash, punching him about the head and face.

The teenager then continued to kick him while he was on the ground, according to the prosecution.

At one point the victim managed to get back into his car and close the door just before a wing mirror was kicked off.

McGrinder told police he had drunk ten bottles of beer and spent £80 on vodka in two bars in Strabane.

He said he remembered getting a taxi and realising he had no money, as well as stopping at a cash machine and telling the driver to return in the morning for payment.

Although he claims to have no memory of carrying out the assault, his lawyers confirmed he accepts the driver’s account of what happened.

As the bail application resumed, a prosecution counsel detailed new intelligence which she said was not being linked to any known group.

“The height of the information received is ‘He’s safer inside’,” she said.

However, Lord Justice McCloskey responded: “This court will not be dictated to by sinister elements of that kind.”

He granted McGrinder bail to live at an undisclosed address, with conditions including an exclusion zone around Strabane and Sion Mills, and a ban on contacting the victim or his firm.

Referring to the alleged attack, the judge described it as “a brutal and barbaric assault on a law abiding member of society providing a service to the community late at night”.

John

Real IRA man from Strabane John Brady hanged himself in Strand Road police station in Derry in 2008

John Brady, 40, died through hanging in an empty consultation room at Strand Road PSNI station in October 2009.

His solicitor John Finucane had just told him he was to be charged with an offence following an altercation with his brother-in-law.

Mr Finucane had left the room to talk to police, and returned to find that his client had killed himself, a court heard.

Coroner Joe McCrisken said there had been failings in Mr Brady’s treatment by police.

“It seems to me that he acted impulsively having been told of the decision to charge, potentially having spent a short time ruminating about a further period of time in prison,” he said.

“I have said this before in other inquests, but it always bears repeating: suicide is a permanent solution to a temporary problem.”

The PSNI officer in charge of the police custody suite thought Mr Brady had been placed in a cell with standard anti-suicide provisions built in.

He was actually in the consultation room alone and unsupervised, the coroner told the dead man’s family at Omagh courthouse in Co Tyrone on Wednesday.

Mr Brady was from Strabane and was on temporary release from prison when the suspected offence happened.

The coroner said he was arrested in a proportionate fashion and properly assessed as being of low risk.

He did not criticise the decision to press charges.

Mr McCrisken added: “Certain steps were taken to protect Mr Brady while he was in custody but there was a critical failure to supervise him properly when he was placed into a consultation room after the decision to charge was taken.”

Following the inquest, Mr Brady’s sister Lorna Brady said she remained devastated, a decade after his death.

She said: “The family’s life have been put on hold.

“He was a son, a brother, a loving uncle.

“He is a big part of our life that has been taken away from us and we will never get it back.

“The third of October turned our lives upside down and will never be the same again, has not been and never will be.”

In May 1991, Mr Brady was sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of reserve constable David Black.

He was also charged with 41 other terrorist offences.

He served eight years in prison before his release on licence in October 1999 under the Good Friday Agreement’s provisions on paramilitary prisoners.

In 2003 he was returned to jail after being charged with possession of a firearm, a prosecution which was subsequently dropped.

John Brady took his own life in Strand Road police station in 2009

The “model prisoner”, with friendships across the community divide, had only six weeks left to serve when the incident which caused his arrest happened, the coroner told the inquest.

Following a family disagreement, he met brother-in-law John Kennedy while collecting his sister’s children from school during temporary release.

The coroner said a “physical altercation” took place between the pair, who differed on who started the fight.

The coroner said the layout of the police custody suite was “unsatisfactory and unhelpful” since the officer responsible for the safe detention of suspects had no proper view of the cell area or corridor.

He criticised “systemic” police failings, while exonerating individual officers, and said there was no prior indication that Mr Brady might self-harm.

A shift change in the sergeant in charge of the custody suite was noted.

The coroner said: “Custody staff should be trained to expect the unexpected.”

He said Mr Brady was expecting to be charged when he died.

“It is possible that up until then, he had been ruminating in a pathological way about his potential return to prison and considering a lengthy court process which may, once again, result in the revocation of his licence when he was so close to being released,” the coroner added.

He said the attendance of intelligence officers at the custody suite seeking to speak to him did not cause or contribute to his death since Mr Brady did not know they were there.

The coroner urged Stormont’s new Health Minister Robin Swann to take serious steps to tackle the issue of suicide in the short and long-term.

John

Man to face court over murder bid in Derry

The man, aged 23 years old, has been charged with offences including attempted murder, aggravated burglary and stealin and aggravated burglary with intent to inflict grievous bodily harm.

He is further accused of possession of an offensive weapon with intent to commit an indictable offence and wounding with intent to do grievous bodily harm.

The charges follow a vicious attack on a man by up to four males at a house in the Cornshell Fields area of Derry during the early hours of Monday, December 2, 2019.

Three men and two women who were also in the house at the time were not injured during the incident.

As is usual procedure, the charges will be reviewed by the Public Prosecution Service.

John

Emma De Souza with her American husband Jake

Emma DeSouza, from Magherafelt, lodged a challenge in the Court of Appeal in Belfast in November, following a ruling that those born in the north are automatically British citizens.

She won a case against the Home Office in 2017, after it deemed she was British, when her US-born husband Jake applied for a residence card.

But in October an immigration tribunal upheld an appeal brought by the Home Office.

Government lawyers argued that people born in Northern Ireland are British citizens according to the 1981 British Nationality Act, even if they identify as Irish.

The Good Friday Agreement allows people to identify as British, Irish or both, but the Home Office says the agreement did not supersede the 1981 British Nationality Act.

Ms De Souza is set to visit Washington, Philadelphia, New York and Boston over a 10-day period from Sunday.

She said she intends to seek support to put pressure on the British government to change its nationality laws.

“The UK government has failed to give domestic legal effect to a key provision of the Good Friday Agreement,” said Emma.

“Instead of addressing this implementation gap it is seeking to rewrite the intent and scope of the provision and continues to challenge the purpose of this provision through the British courts.

“The Good Friday Agreement gives the people of Northern Ireland an explicit right to identify and be accepted as Irish or British or both, as they so choose.

“The British government’s position is out of step with this commitment and its nationality laws are inconsistent with both the letter and the spirit of the Good Friday Agreement.

“Fundamental change is required and political pressure must be brought to bear on the British government.

Emma DeSouza raised her case in Europe in May last year

“The majority of Northern Ireland’s political parties and the Irish government agree that legislative changes to the UK’s nationality laws are required.

“It is my hope that added political pressure will bring the British government to the table.”

John