Loyalists in two counties say PSNI ‘no longer welcome’ in their districts
By Connla Young, Crime and Security Correspondent, Irish News, June 18th, 2025
Loyalists in Tyrone and and Armagh have said the PSNI is no longer welcome in their areas amid claims of “two-tier” policing.
The fallout came in the same week as race-hate violence erupted in several unionist areas across the north resulting in the homes of several migrant workers being targeted.
Dozens of PSNI officers were injured as the trouble spread from Ballymena in Co Antrim to several other towns including Coleraine in Co Derry and Portadown in Co Armagh.
The police crackdown has included dozens of arrests.
It has now emerged that loyalists in several areas have pulled support for the police.
“PSNI not welcome in loyalist areas” images have been circulated on social media websites linked to loyalist groups.
In a message posted on Facebook, Moygashel Bonfire Association, based in Co Tyrone, claimed it has “received reports of police harassing local loyalist youths” in the area.
“This has followed on from an intrusive and provocative police operation at a recent memorial parade in the village.”
This is believed to be a reference to memorial parade held in the village in memory of suspected UVF killer Wesley Somerville earlier this year.
Somerville, who was also a member of the UDR, died when his own bomb exploded as he attempted to murder members of the Miami Showband in July 1975.
Two tier policing ‘unacceptable’
“This two-tier approach to policing is unacceptable and therefore we feel we can no longer liaise with the PSNI over local upcoming cultural celebrations,” the bonfire group said.
“This will remain the status quo until confidence in policing is restored.
“We fear that if this form of policing continues it could raise tensions further until we find ourselves in an uncontrollable situation.”
A replica police car was placed on a loyalist ‘Eleventh Night’ bonfire in Moygashel last July.
There was more controversy when it emerged police removed racist signage in the village but ignored nearby sectarian banners glorifying the UVF and Somerville.
A spokesman for the PSNI said: “Police in Mid Ulster are happy to discuss any issues that local communities may have around policing and would seek to address those issues wherever possible.”
Another Facebook page, Loyalist Markethill, has also called on unionist parties and the PUL (Protestant Unionist Loyalist) “community groups etc to withdraw support for the PSNI ASAP”.
Loyalist social media sites are circulating a race-linked poster
Both pages also carry a message including a picture of a sign with the words “it is not racist to protect your own community”.
The image was originally posted to the Loyalist East Armagh City Facebook page to promote an “anti-illegal immigration rally” in the city Thursday.
'We are a safe place'... Ballymena school hit by absences during riots
Mark Bain, Belfast Telegraph, June 18th, 2025
A Ballymena school named in the NI Assembly as having a high level of absenteeism in the wake of rioting in the town last week has moved to reassure the community that it remains “a safe place” for their children.
St Patrick's College, a Catholic maintained post-primary, was mentioned alongside Harryville Primary School by Education Minister Paul Givan when addressing the impact of the racially motivated riots in the town.
“It is outrageous that, over the past week, we have been dealing with children who have come into school traumatised, showing all the signs of trauma as a result of what has happened on our streets,” the minister told MLAs.
“Last week, at a number of schools, including Harryville and St Patrick's Primary Schools (sic) in Ballymena, attendance has been less than half of the school. That is a clear problem, complicated by the fact that we are dealing with children in both schools who were engaged in the trouble and children in both schools who were the victims of it. It requires a concerted effort. My team and I are very much engaged in trying to provide that support.”
The minister later added: “There is a recording of absenteeism that occurred as a result of what happened last week... For example, 84 newcomer children in Harryville PS have not been at school. The figures for St Patrick's College show that attendance levels are sitting at around 65%.
“We therefore have that information. It will drive the interventions that we feel are necessary in order to provide support to those schools.
“We have that information about not only Ballymena, but other areas. We will certainly use it to inform the approaches that need to be taken to provide support to schools.”
A statement from the principal Paul Fitzpatrick and governors at St Patrick's College said: “St Patrick's College, Ballymena would like to reassure all of our pupils and parents/guardians that this school will continue to be a safe place for them to learn in and in which they can develop as young people.
“As always, our staff will continue to work hard for the education and pastoral support of all of our young people.”
Mr Givan said his department is engaging with schools in the area.
“There are only a couple of weeks left in this academic year, and it has been flagged up that that support will be available in September when the schools return after the summer break,” he said.
Ex-IRA spy mistakenly sent Teebane bomb information by ICRIR
Sam McBride, Belfast Telegraph, June 18th, 2025
MARTIN MCGARTLAND REFUSES REQUEST FOR DETAILS OF HIS NEW IDENTITY AND LOCATION
A former spy within the IRA has said that Northern Ireland's new Troubles investigation body is demanding sensitive details of his new identity, just weeks after it mistakenly sent him material about the Teebane massacre.
Sir Declan Morgan's Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery (ICRIR), which is reinvestigating many Troubles attacks, did not dispute that it asked the spy in hiding to prove his location and admitted there had been a data breach, but played down its significance.
The situation is embarrassing for the ICRIR as it attempts to establish both its independence and competence amid deep scepticism from many Troubles victims.
Martin McGartland, one of the most famous spies within the IRA, was resettled abroad under a new identity after his cover was blown and he narrowly escaped death in 1991.
He survived a second time when his cover was blown in England in 1999 and IRA gunmen attacked him.
Last summer, the man — whose story was made into the film Fifty Dead Men Walking — approached the ICRIR, asking it to investigate his abduction.
Then a few weeks ago he said that the ICRIR mistakenly sent him sensitive information about another case, the Teebane massacre - an IRA attack at a rural crossroads in Co Tyrone in 1992.
Eight men were killed when a van carrying construction workers who had been repairing an Army base in Omagh was destroyed by an IRA roadside bomb.
Mr McGartland told the Belfast Telegraph that the ICRIR asked him to delete the email, which he did.
Meanwhile, he said the ICRIR demanded that he prove to it who he really is by giving them photo identification such as a passport and proof of where he lives.
After the data breach, Mr McGartland said there is no way he is doing that.
McGartland fears MI5 set-up
He believes he may have been set up by members of the security forces to protect another more significant informer within the IRA.
The former spy said he had been trying to get his kidnapping properly investigated for 34 years but “everybody has been putting up road blocks”.
Unlike most paramilitary informers, Mr McGartland was asked to infiltrate the IRA, rather than being an existing member. His situation was similar to that of Willie Carlin, who was asked by the intelligence services to join the republican movement in Londonderry in the 1980s, getting close to Martin McGuinness and being told by MI5 to do everything he could to help his political rise.
Mr McGartland said that he had been told by the IRA to come to a meeting at Connolly House, Sinn Féin's then headquarters on the Falls Road, the following day.
Worried, he said he informed his handlers and after checking with his superior, his RUC handler told him to go ahead and he would be put under surveillance.
The spy said, however, that he was taken to a house in Twinbrook where he was held for hours, but wasn't rescued.
It is now known that Freddie Scappaticci, the head of the IRA internal security unit which hunted and murdered informers was himself an informer. Scappaticci wasn't present when Mr McGartland was interrogated but he believes some of the others present were informers.
Escape through 3rd floor window
He escaped by leaping from a third floor window.
“I was tied hand and foot; they were holding me at gunpoint…I did all these things like an idiot because I had so much faith and trust in Special Branch.
“I had prevented 35 IRA bombings and shootings in a two-year period.
“The reason no one wants to touch my case is because it's one of the only cases in Northern Ireland where someone is alive who was kidnapped by the 'nutting squad', who's been telling the tale for years implicating the security forces.”
He said that initially when he contacted the ICRIR “they were really trying to get me on board… at that point, they were giving me the idea they were begging me to come on board; they were desperate — but now they're doing the opposite.
“They're asking me — unbelievably — to supply them with a copy of photo ID and proof of home address.
“That would be absolutely suicidal. It could cost me my life. I just can't believe how irresponsible that is.
“They know I've survived two IRA assassination attempts.”
After being shot in 1999 — 26 years ago yesterday — Mr McGartland said he'd been left with “a great deal of physical and psychological distress”.
ICRIR stance nonsensical
He said the ICRIR stance made no sense.
“Why did they send all that information if they hadn't verified who I was,” he asked.
He said there were other ways for the ICRIR to easily verify his identity, such as by speaking to PSNI Chief Constable Jon Boutcher, who he said he met twice face-to-face when he was investigating Scappaticci.
One of Mr Boutcher's senior colleagues in that investigation, Keith Surtees, now works for the ICRIR.
Talking about his time as a spy, Mr McGartland stressed how he did what he did purely to assist the state to save lives.
“I had never had any allegiance to, liking for, involvement, or any connections with the IRA before they approached me to infiltrate that organisation,” he said.
“I did it to the best of my ability and went way beyond the call of duty.
“They had me going to IRA dumps in the early hours of the morning. I was removing weapons, Semtex, detonators, and ammunition to take it to my handlers. We travelled to Castlereagh where Army specialists tampered with it so it would be useless.
“I did it and brought it back. I put my life at grave risk but they sent me like a lamb to the slaughter to be murdered.”
Mr McGartland said that he was being treated the same way by those overseeing the Troubles pension, to which he is entitled but is being refused access.
He said he'd sent them “reams and reams” of medical and other material, including reports by medical consultants and surgeons, but there was a demand for him to give details of his current GP, home address and passport, something he said was far too sensitive.
ICRIR response
The ICRIR said that “as a matter of caution, organisational openness, and regulatory best practice, ICRIR self-reported a low-level data incident to the Information Commissioner's Office on June 5, 2025”.
“The report was submitted within 24 hours of the commission being made aware that a member of the public had erroneously received a single document attached to an email (namely a power-point slide-deck intended for internal purposes).
“The presentation focused on a single incident and some of that information was already in the public domain, including a newspaper article. No requesting individuals were identified by the commission.”
It said the family were informed within 24 hours.
When asked if it was prepared to accept some other means of verifying Mr McGartland's identity, the ICRIR said it “does not routinely comment on individual circumstances” and “is bound by the requirements of law to satisfactorily confirm the identity of individuals seeking our assistance” but “we are and remain willing to exercise flexibility according to individual circumstances”.
‘Almost 30’ plastic bullets fired in riots
Connla Young, Crime and Security Correspondent, Irish News, June 18th, 2025.
THE PSNI fired almost 30 plastic bullets during last week’s race riots.
Violence across several loyalist districts saw police attacked by mobs throwing various missiles and petrol bombs.
Officers initially failed to confirm how many plastic bullets, described as attenuating energy projectiles (AEPs), were fired during last week’s trouble after concerns were raised.
It is now believed 28 plastic rounds were discharged.
It emerged in court last week that a 23-year-old man was shot in the testicles during rioting in Ballymena, Co Antrim, on Wednesday.
As part of their response the PSNI drafted in mutual aid officers from Scotland as well as deploying dogs and water cannon.
Concerns have previously been raised about the use of plastic bullets in public order situations. During the Troubles, 17 people, including eight children, were killed by plastic bullets fired by the security forces.
Calls for ban
In 2023 the director of the Children’s Law Centre, Paddy Kelly, called for a ban on their use while the United Campaign Against Plastic Bullets (UCAPB) has raised fresh concerns.
Campaign spokesman Mark Kelly, whose 12-year-old sister Carol Ann Kelly was shot dead by a plastic bullet fired by a British soldier in Twinbrook, on the outskirts of west Belfast, in May 1981, said “28 is too many”.
“Given the appalling history of these lethal weapons, and the indiscriminate nature of them, there’s an additional burden on the PSNI to be absolutely transparent and accountable,” he said.
“We again reiterate our call for an immediate ban on these deadly weapons and for the justice minister and Policing Board to step up in this regard, and demonstrate leadership where the PSNI have failed.
“Transparency is paramount.” Assistant Chief Constable Melanie Jones said “Attenuating energy projectiles are one of a range of tactical options and are only deployed in situations of serious public disorder or where there is a threat to life – such as the scenes witnessed in Northern Ireland last week – when use is judged to be absolutely necessary to prevent loss of life, serious injury or substantial damage to property.”
“The use of AEPs is approved by a senior officer, of assistant chief constable rank or above, and is automatically referred by the [PSNI] to the Police Ombudsman’s Office on all occasions.
“The issue, deployment and use of AEPs is strictly regulated and falls within national guidelines.”
A spokeswoman for the Policing Board previously said the “use of baton rounds [AEPs] is an operational decision for the chief constable”.
The Department of Justice was approached for comment.
Ballymena race riots echo 2009 Belfast attacks which drove migrants from homes... and NI
Liam Tunney, Belfast Telegraph, June 18th, 2025
SIXTEEN YEARS AGO SIMMERING RACIAL TENSIONS ERUPTED IN SOUTH OF CITY
The sight of immigrants fleeing Ballymena's narrow streets last week through charred tarmac, broken masonry and smashed glass was horrifying, but sadly not unique.
Sixteen years ago, a remarkably similar scene played out in south Belfast, when members of the Roma and Romanian communities were driven from their homes by the baying mob.
On June 15, 2009, simmering racial tensions culminated with an attack on a rally organised in support of the migrant community on the Lisburn Road.
Youths from the nearby Village area hurled bottles and made Nazi salutes at those taking part in the demonstration.
Some Romanians later claimed neo-Nazi literature — including a copy of Adolf Hitler's Mein Kampf — was pushed through their letterboxes.
Bottles were thrown through the windows of houses. Doors were kicked in. Some immigrants spoke of men armed with guns telling them to leave or face getting shot.
The attack on the protest marked the tipping point in a campaign of intimidation that had bubbled for several weeks.
Over 100 forced to leave
More than a hundred were forced to leave their homes on the edge of the city's university district, seeking refuge firstly in a local church and leisure centre and later in student accommodation.
However, by the end of the month, it was reported by the Irish Independent that all but two families opted to leave Northern Ireland and return to Romania.
“The 22 displaced Roma families had been staying in the student village at Queen's University after their homes were repeatedly attacked but that arrangement was to have ended on Wednesday,” the newspaper stated.
“Yesterday, the remaining Roma families, who were terrified by the attacks, left Belfast at around 7.30am. They later boarded a flight out of Dublin Airport.”
It reported the flights were paid for by the Housing Executive.
Then Social Development Minister Margaret Ritchie said she was “disappointed” that the families had decided to leave and then-Prime Minister Gordon Brown also condemned the attacks.
Martin McGuiness, who was Deputy First Minister at the time, had made an earlier plea for the Roma families to stay, arguing their attackers were a “tiny unrepresentative group of racist criminals”.
Martin McGuinness visited victims
Mr McGuinness also visited the leisure centre where the victims were being housed, meeting a five-week-old baby girl who had been caught up in the trouble.
“She was born in Belfast and now forced to leave her home as a result of attacks by racist, criminal thugs,” he added.
Writing in the Guardian, the late Henry McDonald described how just months earlier, some 46 Polish nationals had been forced to flee their homes in the same area following similar attacks.
“Since the middle of the decade, foreign nationals from across the world who have moved into the area have been the target of racists,” he said.
“First, it was the Chinese whose homes were attacked, then the Poles and Slovakians, and latterly the Roma.”
In echoes of the most recent trouble in Ballymena, arrests followed the disorder.
A 21-year-old man appeared in court charged with intimidation and threatening behaviour in connection with the attack on the rally.
A 15-year-old was also charged in connection with the same incident, while a 16-year-old boy was accused of provocative behaviour at the protest.
The two youths were later released.
Tik Tok driven violence
Last week, TikTok's algorithm drove opinions to our screens on every jot and tittle of the violence in Ballymena.
Back in 2009, those opinions were firmly the preserve of newspaper columns.
The attacks drew the ire of a columnist in Dublin's Evening Herald, who mused over who was next to face the wrath of the attackers.
“What to say about the truly shameful situation in Belfast where up to 100 Romanians are to quit NI after a series of violence racist attacks?” they wrote.
“The worst thing about this is that the bullies have triumphed. So who's next on your hit list, lads? Nigerians? Chinese? Poles? Jehovah's Witnesses? Gays?”
As in 2025, the 2009 violence made headlines across the world, with reports being carried in both Australia and the US.
Current Justice Minister Naomi Long — who was then Lord Mayor of Belfast — then described the episode as a “stain of shame” over the city.
Her party colleague, the late Anna Lo, told the Guardian that racism in NI had intensified since the end of the Troubles.
“Every ethnic minority has been targeted in this corner of south Belfast over the past 10 years,” she said.
“The men have all lost their jobs. Most of them used to sell the Belfast Telegraph at roundabouts and traffic islands around Belfast. They tell me there is no future for them here any longer.”
We are used to history repeating itself in NI, but with some 31 people already facing the justice system and 64 police officers injured, last week's disorder was a particularly violent reverberation of a shameful past episode.
Reform UK 'exploring the possibility of developing NI presence'
FARAGE'S PARTY 'GAUGING INTEREST' FOR MOVE THAT COULD UPSET TUV
Suzanne Breen, Belfast Telegraph, June 18th, 2025
Reform UK is exploring the possibility of organising in Northern Ireland, where it has more than 1,000 members.
The party told the Belfast Telegraph it was “gauging interest” in setting up branches and contesting elections here.
Any such move could cause problems for the TUV, which would be competing for the same right-wing unionist vote.
The two parties entered a formal partnership last March for the Westminster election, but the relationship deteriorated three months later when Nigel Farage returned as Reform leader and backed the DUP's Ian Paisley and Sammy Wilson against TUV candidates.
Reform has now contacted its members across the UK asking for their views on it organising in Northern Ireland.
“We are reaching out to explore the possibility of developing Reform UK's presence in Northern Ireland,” the message said.
“While we've seen strong growth across much of the UK, we're now looking to understand whether there is local interest and appetite for building something meaningful in Northern Ireland, and we want to hear from our members first.”
The correspondence from the party's director of campaigns and training, Michael Hadwen, said: “At this early stage, we're simply trying to identify individuals who may be interested in... helping set up interim branches, co-ordinating local activity, being a local point of contact.”
Mr Hawden asked members to complete a form on the matter, which he says is to establish “where the enthusiasm and energy might be”. He pledged to “be in touch as things develop”.
A Reform UK spokesperson said: “We're gauging the interest in Northern Ireland — the hows, whens and wheres of setting up. We're exploring the areas we'd be strongest in. It's all at a very early stage.”
Agreement with TUV ended after bustup
The spokesperson said Reform agreement with the TUV had ended last year and it was currently not aligned with any other party here. Relations between Reform UK and the TUV cooled after Mr Farage's endorsement of the two DUP candidates.
Jim Allister defeated Ian Paisley in North Antrim and told the Reform leader when they met in the House of Commons that he was there “in spite of him”.
Neither Mr Allister nor any other TUV representative was invited to Reform's annual conference in Birmingham last September.
The formal partnership between the parties had been announced at last year's TUV annual conference.
Mr Allister signed a “memorandum of understanding” with Reform's then leader, Richard Tice, who addressed the TUV gathering.
Reform's then deputy leader, Ben Habib, who had spoken at many anti-protocol rallies, was key to the alliance.
However, the relationship appeared to sour when Mr Farage took over.
The new Reform leader voiced his personal support in the Westminster election for the DUP's Sammy Wilson and Ian Paisley, with whom he is friends.
Unlike his party leader, Mr Habib remained true to his political partner for the Westminster election.
He tweeted: “Jim Allister is a man of utter principle and I would never let him down.”
Mr Habib has since left the party.
Reform secured a 14% vote and had five MPs elected in the General Election.
It emerged as the largest party in the council elections in England and Wales last month.
Police Ombudsman takes 'leave of absence' again
Christopher Leebody, Belfast Telegraph, June 18th, 2025
FILE ON ALLEGED DOMESTIC INCIDENT AT HER HOME SENT TO PPS LAST WEEK
A DUP MLA has expressed concern about the timing of the Northern Ireland Police Ombudsman's decision to take a “temporary leave of absence with immediate effect”.
Yesterday, Marie Anderson said that while she had planned to retire at the end of this year, she had taken a decision to take a temporary leave due to “current commentary” that is “detracting from the focus” of her work with bereaved families.
It comes a week after it emerged that officers investigating an alleged domestic incident at the home of the policing watchdog have sent on a file of evidence to the Public Prosecution Service (PPS).
The probe, launched after the alleged incident at Ms Anderson's home in Co Down in September 2023, was carried out by West Midlands Police at the request of the Chief Constable, and has now concluded.
The PPS has confirmed it received a file of evidence last week “reporting one individual for potential offences of perverting the course of justice and misconduct in public office following a police investigation arising from an incident in Holywood, Co Down”.
In her statement yesterday, Ms Anderson said: “Although I had decided to retire in December this year, which would have allowed me to fulfil my commitments to delivering the outcomes of investigations to a number of bereaved families, it has become increasingly clear that current commentary is detracting from the focus of that work.
Delegating authority to Chief Executive
“I am extremely grateful to those families who put their trust in me, and it is their interests which are at the heart of my decision today to take a temporary leave of absence with immediate effect.
“In my absence, I am delegating authority to my Chief Executive and senior staff as appropriate.
"This will ensure the vital work of the office continues, as there is no legal provision for the Office to function without a Police Ombudsman.
“I have every confidence in all my staff and know they will work diligently and am grateful for their support in recent times.”
In her role as ombudsman, Ms Anderson oversees investigations into police conduct and is responsible for holding officers to account.
The seven-year fixed term of office began when she started the job back in 2019.
DUP MLA expresses concern
DUP Policing Board member Trevor Clarke said the decision to step aside “has come late in the day following an investigation that has been ongoing since 2023”.
He noted that “an announcement has only been made today that she will take a leave of absence a few months before she intends to retire”.
The South Antrim MLA added: “The DUP has been consistently raising this issue at the Policing Board, but the statement today appears only to have come following more significant public discussion on the news.”
Mr Clarke warned “there has been continued damage to public confidence” in the office of the Police Ombudsman and questioned why Ms Anderson previously resisted calls to step back from the role.
“Previously the Ombudsman had said it wouldn't be possible for the office to continue to function if she stepped aside, but now responsibility has been delegated to other staff,” the Assembly member continued.
“Unfortunately, [this] statement doesn't end the saga and uncertainty continues.”
Miami Showband survivor threatens legal action over army files on Nairac
Alan Erwin, Irish News, June 18th, 2025
A SURVIVOR of the Miami Showband massacre is threatening legal action in a bid to be allowed to use a military document to support allegations that missing British army officer Robert Nairac may have been linked to the attack.
Des McAlea wants MoD permission to use the material in response to a television documentary which distanced Captain Nairac from involvement in the atrocity.
One of Ireland’s most popular cabaret acts, three members of the Miami Showband were murdered as they travelled home to Dublin after a gig in July 1975.
A fake army patrol made up of UDR soldiers and UVF members stopped them at a bogus checkpoint outside Newry, Co Down.
Band members were made to line up at the side of the road while attempts were made to hide a bomb on the tour bus.
The device exploded prematurely, killing some of the would-be bombers.
Their accomplices then opened fire on the band, murdering lead singer Fran O’Toole, guitarist Tony Geraghty and trumpeter Brian McCoy.
Mr McAlea and fellow band member Stephen Travers were also injured but survived the attack.
Posthumous allegations against Nairac
Captain Nairac, who served here at the height of the Troubles, was the subject of posthumous allegations that he may have colluded with loyalist paramilitaries and potentially played a role in the Miami Showband attack.
A report in 2020 claimed previously unseen British Army intelligence documents have linked him to the massacre.
The undercover officer was abducted from a south Armagh pub in May 1977 and never seen again.
Captain Robert Nairac talking to children in the Ardoyne area of north Belfast in 1972. He was abducted from a south Armagh pub in May 1977 and never seen again, presumed murdered by the IRA
It is presumed that he was killed and secretly buried by the IRA.
In August 2024 an RTÉ documentary featured a lead investigator in the search for remains of the so-called ‘Disappeared’ stating there was no evidence that Captain Nairac was involved.
Mr McAlea vehemently disputes that assessment.
His lawyers want to be able to use a military document which was disclosed during separate legal proceedings for their ongoing correspondence with the broadcaster.
So far, however, the Crown Solicitors Office has not given the requested permission.
Stephen Travers, left, and Des McAlea survived the Miami Showband massacre. Mr McAlea vehemently disputes claims that Nairac had no involvement in the July 1975 atrocity involving a fake army patrol.
A pre-action letter has now been issued threatening judicial review proceedings against the MoD over the alleged ongoing failure to provide consent.
Solicitor Owen Winters, of Belfast-based firm KRW Law, said: “The narrative on Robert Nairac needs an urgent reset after last year’s RTÉ documentary.
“It has caused serious distress and trauma for our clients Mr Des McAlea and Stephen Travers.”
Mr Winters added: “We have repeatedly asked the authorities for permission to use information obtained in the Miami Showband litigation but they’ve failed to respond.
“We have little option now but to challenge that silence in court.”
No further police action in Michael McMonagle wages probe
Mark Bain, Belfast Telegraph, June 18th, 2025
Police have confirmed that no further action is to be taken over wages paid to a former Sinn Fein press officer who was later convicted of child sex offences.
The case involving Michael McMonagle, of Limewood Street, Londonderry, had been referred to the PSNI in January following his conviction last year.
A Stormont review into the circumstances of the case, concerning the 43-year-old's previous employment arrangements with Sinn Fein and the party's elected representatives at Stormont, had found it was “likely” McMonagle had “misrepresented” details of that employment.
It concluded that his actions “may have resulted in a misuse of public money”, revealing that for three months in 2020 he simultaneously held two full-time jobs working for two Sinn Fein politicians — First Minister Michelle O'Neill and West Tyrone MP Orfhlaith Begley — while working as a party press officer.
The review said Sinn Fein “ought to have known” McMonagle was contracted to work for about 80 hours a week.
It found McMonagle was “likely to have misrepresented his employments and that neither Ms Begley nor Ms O'Neill were aware of this”.
Matter referred to Stormont Executive
The matter was then referred to the PSNI by the NI Assembly's chief executive, Lesley Hogg.
In a letter sent to MLAs in January, she explained that she was required to report the issue “under the Assembly Commission's Fraud Prevention and Anti-Bribery Policy”.
In a statement, the PSNI said: “Enquiries conducted by the PSNI's Economic Crime Unit are now complete. There will be no further police action at this time.”
Last September, it was revealed that two Sinn Fein press officers gave references for McMonagle after he had been arrested and suspended from the party — but before he had appeared in court. Both party officials later resigned.
In January, Ms O'Neill said there were “lessons to be learned for everybody” as a result of the Stormont report into McMonagle's employment.
“I think it's been a very useful piece of work, because I think there are lessons to be learned for everybody in terms of how we employ people and how that's all fully accountable,” she said at the time.
“We were at a time of Covid. It was a very short time in which he did work for me and there was an overlap. But I do believe there are lessons to be learned there, of course.”
McMonagle was sentenced to nine months in custody and a further nine months on licence after pleading guilty to 14 charges relating to various dates between May 2020 and August 2021.
In one incident, he believed he was chatting online to a 12-year-old girl, who was actually a police decoy.
The judge said McMonagle had expressed shame over his behaviour “and deeply regretted the hurt and problems” he had caused.
North’s 471 rivers and lakes all fail EU’s safety standards
Conor Shiels, Irish News, June 18th, 2025
THE latest data shows that every river and lake in Northern Ireland fails to meet EU safety standards as all waterways are polluted with ‘forever chemicals’.
Data obtained by The Irish News from the Department for the Environment shows that all 450 rivers and each of the north’s 21 lakes fail to meet EU water safety standards.
Each one of our waterways – including the bodies of water that supply our drinking water – tested positive for so-called ‘forever chemicals’.
According to the data, three rivers – Jerrettspass River, Blackstaff (Ards) River and Arney River – were given the worst possible ‘bad’ ecological rating.
Meanwhile, more than 30 rivers were classified as being in ‘poor’ condition and 127 of our rivers were classed as ecologically good, according to the data. However, the information shows that all of Northern Ireland’s 450 rivers, even those listed as ‘good’, are contaminated with socalled uPBT chemicals.
These are man-made ‘forever chemicals’ that never break down naturally and build up in living organisms over time.
While it is unclear the exact chemicals polluting Northern Ireland’s rivers, substances in this category have been linked to a number of serious health conditions.
Once released into the environment through industrial use and consumer products like non-stick pans and waterproof clothing, they spread through water systems and remain there indefinitely.
Meanwhile, all of the north’s 19 lakes also failed to meet EU water quality standards thanks to the presence of ‘forever chemicals’, according to the data.
All of north’s waterways fail EU safety standards
The latest data shows that every river and lake in Northern Ireland fails to meet EU safety standards as every waterway is polluted with toxic ‘forever chemicals’
Only three lakes – Castlehume, Fea, and Scolban – achieved ecological status, but all still failed chemical safety standards when were included in testing.
Long term health risks
Meanwhile, three lakes Gullion, MacNean Lower, and Portmore – achieved the worst possible “Bad” ecological rating.
Northern Ireland’s largest lake, Lough Neagh, received a “Poor” ecological rating, joining five other lakes in serious environmental decline.
The contamination extends to key water supply reservoirs, with Silent Valley and Spelga – which supply the greater Belfast area – both failing comprehensive chemical safety tests.
While drinking water undergoes treatment before reaching taps, source contamination increases costs and long-term health risks.
The news comes just days after it emerged that Northern Ireland cannot calculate the cost of removing nutrient pollutants from the water supply.
Run-off from agricultural fertilisers, wastewater discharge and overspill from septic tanks has led to significant deterioration in water quality across the north.
All water is treated by NI water before it reaches our homes and is put through multiple filtering systems and has chlorine added.
However, poor water quality is an issue for those using the water for swimming or other recreational activities or those consuming fish.
Long-overdue anti-poverty strategy widely criticised
John Manley, Political Correspondent, Irish News, June 15th, 2025
A LEADING children’s charity has said Stormont’s long-awaited draft anti-poverty strategy “raises serious questions” about the executive’s commitment to those facing prolonged hardship.
Save the Children said the 10-year plan, published yesterday by Communities Minister Gordon Lyons, “recycles existing commitments” and has “no clear priorities” for delivery.
Assembly Communities Committee chair Colm Gildernew was equally scathing, saying the document lacked “both ambition and substance”, while the SDLP’s Mark Durkan described it as “underwhelming”.
Alliance communities spokesperson Sian Mulholland said it was a “mediocre first attempt which needs serious strengthening”.
Apparently approved by the executive a month ago, the draft anti-poverty strategy will now be subject to a 14-week public consultation.
Mr Lyons said the decade -long plan was based on the three pillars of minimising risks of falling into poverty, minimising the impact of poverty on people’s lives, and working to help people get out of poverty.
One in six living in ‘absolute poverty
Around 18% of people in the north are classed as living in relative poverty, with 15% in absolute poverty.
The figures are higher still for children, with one quarter living in relative poverty and 21% in absolute poverty.
The minister told the assembly there had been a “legacy of delay” that had held up the strategy first pledged almost 20 years ago.
He said he had made clear on taking office last February “that one of my priorities would be tackling poverty”.
Mr Lyons said he had worked with executive colleagues to develop a strategy that “will make a difference to people’s lives”.
How has a document with no measures to reach its ambition been signed off?
“This strategy is the culmination of considerable hard work, collaboration and co-design, and I want to thank all those stakeholders, in particular the members of the anti-poverty co-design group, who have worked with my department in providing their input,” he said.
“We often hear about the silo approach in government, but I know that ministers and officials across the executive departments have worked together on the draft in a spirit of co-operation and collective ownership.”
According to the DUP minister’s department, the strategy “will harness the momentum already established across the executive departments during the preparation of the draft”.
“Poverty is not a problem the executive can solve in isolation,” Mr Lyons said.
“It will require government, public bodies, voluntary and community organisations, communities, families and individuals all working together to make a meaningful and lasting change to our society.”
Mr Gildernew said there were “serious concerns” about the strategy’s effectiveness.
“Organisations on the frontline – those who understand what needs to be done to give struggling families a better future – have seen many of their key recommendations left out of the current draft. The document lacks both ambition and substance,” the Sinn Féin MLA said.
Draft needs ‘significant strengthening’
Ms Mulholland said the draft document needed “significant strengthening”.
“In particular, it lacks specific targets, a detailed action plan, and provisions for independent monitoring, measures that would have provided a much stronger foundation for progress,” the North Antrim MLA said.
Mr Durkan said the draft strategy was an “insult” to the experts and charities who helped shape it.
“Most of their effort and their empathy appears to be left on cutting room floor,” the SDLP MLA said.
People Before Profit MLA Gerry Carroll said it was “listless, unambitious and watered-down”.
Save the Children regional head Peter Bryson said the executive could have “opted for a big, bold move like introducing a child payment to lift thousands of children out of poverty”.
He asked: “How has a document with no measures to reach its ambition been signed off?”
Around 18% of people in the north are classed as living in relative poverty
Body ‘targeting need’ spends £27,000 on anniversary bash
John Manley, Political Correspondent, Irish News, June 18th, 2025
A FUNDING body responsible for targeting areas of Northern Ireland with the “greatest need” spent more than £27,000 on an event celebrating its own 25th anniversary.
Some £10,000 alone was spent on “logistics” and “equipment” for December’s lavish bash at Belfast’s Titanic Hotel, which was attended by 183 guests, including Stormont ministers.
But the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB) has defended the cost, arguing that the regulations laid down by Brussels require a “major information activity a year which promotes the funding opportunities”.
The EU, UK and NI Executive-funded group said the 25th anniversary celebration “enabled the SEUPB to meet its EU regulatory requirements regarding public engagement and promotion of funding”.
The event included a ‘fork buffet’, ‘video wall’ and ‘room dressing’, items listed on the SEUPB bill contributing to the cost.
Costs breakdown
In all, the total costs of £27,250 included almost £7,859 on food and £7,000 on “event management support, including planning, delivery and staffing”.
Some £12,370 was spent on event logistics, equipment and audio-visual technology, a freedom of information request revealed.
Among those addressing the event, both virtually and in-person, were the First Minister Michelle O’Neill and Deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly, the then finance minister Caoimhe Archibald, NIO parliamentary under-secretary of state Fleur Anderson, Dublin government official Andrew Condon and former Irish diplomat Dr Tim O’Connor.
SEUPB chief executive Gina McIntyre, whose organisation was last year criticised by academics who claimed the billions of pounds it allocates in Northern Ireland exacerbates division, told the event that its funding “has had a transformational impact within communities”.
“Over the past 25 years we have focused on weaving a lattice of peace building, supporting those citizens who took risks for peace,” she said.
“This happened alongside the high-level political processes, but I firmly believe that this relationship-building in the heart of communities has really helped to sustain peace on the ground.”
According to SEUPB, EU regulations require that its programmes be “marketed and showcased to certain specifications, with due publicity given to projects and their impact”.
“There is an assigned budget within the overall funding packages for this important promotional work, which is regularly monitored by oversight bodies, and if publicity and engagement requirements for funding are not met, the programmes can face financial penalties,” a spokesperson said.
“The cost of fulfilling the obligations requires a financial outlay.”
Fears of new tensions within UUP as MLA quits after less than year in job
Suzanne Breen, Belfast Telegraph, June 18th, 1815
Robin Swann's election to Westminster should have been the start of a UUP resurgence, but instead it led to a calamitous chain of events for the party which is still struggling with the fallout.
The man who found himself at the centre of the dispute is the most unlikely politician to have ever caused controversy. Colin Crawford was co-opted into Mr Swann's Assembly seat in North Antrim in July.
He had served as a Ballymena councillor for a year. He's a softly spoken, gentle and genuine representative, but the feeling among some from the start was that he wasn't cut out for Stormont.
The dispute over who succeeded Mr Swann led to the resignation of then-UUP leader, Doug Beattie, who had backed Ballymoney councillor, Darryl Wilson, for the job.
Less than a year after his Assembly arrival, Mr Crawford has announced that he is quitting. Sources told the Belfast Telegraph there could be new tensions between the local North Antrim association and the leadership over who would succeed him.
Sold a pup
“Colin was sold a pup by those who encouraged him to put his name forward for the MLA seat,” one source said.
“It wasn't a job that played to his strengths. He would have been far better staying on council. He was out of his depth in Stormont from the beginning. The arguments of those who thought he wasn't the best candidate have been totally vindicated.” The insider added: “An Assembly election is less than two years away. Given the mess the association made of it the last time, it is vital they listen to advice this time on who succeeds Colin.”
However, a supporter of Mr Crawford views the situation differently. “As a new MLA, Colin didn't get the support and training he needed to equip him for the role. If he didn't have the right skillset, the blame for not assisting him lies with the leadership.
“I also believe he didn't feel that he was welcome by everyone in Stormont. Some were unfriendly, to say the least, in their dealings with him. This entire situation is down to the leadership's failings, not Colin's.”
The UUP and Mr Crawford have been contacted for comment. Sources said that Mr Crawford was a politician very focused on his constituency and found it challenging being based four days a week in Stormont. “Colin saw his role as similar to Alex Easton's when he was in the Assembly - focusing first and foremost on local issues. But the UUP didn't have the bandwidth to allow him to do that. We don't have enough MLAs. He was needed on committees,” the insider said.
Mr Crawford did not make a name for himself in his Assembly contributions.
“It was always going to be that way,” said a source. “He didn't speak much in council so he was hardly going to transform into something different in a bigger chamber.”
Resigned on Facebook
Notably, the North Antrim MLA announced his own resignation on Facebook rather than doing so through an official party press statement.
He said he had reached his decision “after much soul searching”. Sources said that the racist violence in Ballymena last week may have helped make up Mr Crawford's mind. They said the MLA, who lives in Harryville, was “shaken” by the violence.
Mr Nesbitt's statement after the resignation was more perfunctory than warm. “Colin informed us yesterday evening that he will be stepping down as an MLA at the end of the month. He is a valued colleague, and we wish him all the very best for the future,” the party leader said.
The UUP has only nine MLAs, and it knows its North Antrim seat is now vulnerable. Mr Swann had a big personal vote. It is far from ideal that he was replaced by someone who had such a lower profile who then himself resigned. Whoever is co-opted into the seat will have to hit the ground running.
Braid councillor Alan Barr would be a popular local choice but he is also a firefighter and, sources say, is reluctant to leave that job.
The leadership is aware of the under-representation of women in its ranks. Carrickfergus councillor Bethany Ferris was Mr Swann's running-mate in the 2022 Assembly election in North Antrim. However, some in the party say they're “not convinced” she is right for the vacancy.
Former Mid-Ulster MLA Sandra Overend has been suggested as a possibility. She lost her seat in 2017, but has remained active in the UUP and is currently one of those selected to serve as a party officer by Mr Nesbitt.
Ms Overend may also be acceptable to the North Antrim association. She is friends with Mr Swann from their days in the Young Farmers. She was also his deputy when he was UUP chief whip in the Assembly.
She lives in Bellaghy but insiders said living in the constituency wasn't necessarily a prerequisite for the right candidate.
However, Ms Overend now works in the private sector, and it's unknown if she wants to return to full-time politics.
