Ex-soldier hammer thug celebrates prison release by ‘nailing' pints on Donegal trip
The coked-up arsonist was jailed for arriving to hospital with weapon in case he was 'attacked by Muslims'.
Jonny Smyth, the Belfast gym owner who has vanished in the aftermath of the murder of John George in the Costa del Sol.
An ex-soldier thug who brought a hammer to hospital in case he was 'attacked by Muslims' while off his face on cocaine has been 'nailing' pints and shots to celebrate his release from jail.
An ex-soldier thug who brought a hammer to hospital in case he was 'attacked by Muslims' while off his face on cocaine has been 'nailing' pints and shots to celebrate his release from jail.
An ex-soldier thug who brought a hammer to hospital while off his face on cocaine in case he was 'attacked by Muslims' has been 'nailing' pints to celebrate his release from jail.
Until he was caught 'tooled-up' in Belfast's Royal Victoria Hospital, James Burns had been a lead protester outside business premises connected to Jonny Smyth – the man currently in jail in Spain waiting to see if he will face charges in connection with the murder of Belfast man John George.
Nicknamed 'Flames' because of his criminal history as an arsonist, Burns (33) is back on the streets after he was released from jail last week and wasted no time 'hammering' the drinks into him.
He posted a series of TikTok videos and social media photos of him downing pints of beer and shots in Donegal with the words 'few days away with the wife' alongside.
The former amateur boxer – with a lengthy history of violence and more than 110 convictions – also posted a video of himself bare-chested having a play street 'fight' with a pal as bemused neighbours walked by.
Though that was just a bit of messing about, messing about is not something the police are able to do when they are called to arrest him because we can reveal that Burns is flagged as being high risk by the authorities because of his propensity to use violence.
Previously Burns has assaulted multiple cops who've had to go and arrest him – headbutting one.
James Burns
And once when he was arrested he threatened to cut off the head of his partner and leave it on her parents' doorstep if she revoked his bail address.
With his former army training, the fact he was a boxer and also because he's partial to drink and drugs which previous courts have said make him even more volatile, cops have to send back-up if they want to lift him.
Burns, who lives in Melrose Street in Belfast but previously with an address in Mallusk, Co Antrim, appeared in court at the end of February after he walked into the RVH with a hammer and a bag containing both Class A and Class C drugs.
During police interview, he told officers the hammer was used for work he was doing to a new house and he carried it with him for 'fear of being attacked by Muslims'.
What hasn't been reported is that he subsequently pleaded guilty to possessing an offensive weapon and was sentenced on March 21 to four months in jail for the hammer and one month for the cocaine and prescription drugs.
That meant he was released just last week and those who know him are waiting to see if he can stay out of trouble.
'James Burns is a ticking time bomb,' said one man who's known Burns for years. 'He can't stay out of trouble for very long – even when he tries really hard. He even went off all the booze and drugs, found God and got into the boxing but it didn't last long.
'The cops are terrified of him because he always kicks off and he's a total nightmare to handle. He's been like that for the last 15 years since he got back from Afghanistan.
'James seemingly can't be rehabilitated and it's only a matter of time before he does something violent again.'
James Burns
Burns has been in and out of prison for serious offending including arson, rioting and a series of domestic abuse convictions.
He has told courts before how he served with the Commandos in Afghanistan and was 'significantly traumatised by the events he witnessed there'.
His family have spoken out that he needed help after he returned from the war a changed person.
In the last year he has posted publicly about his struggles with mental health, drink and drugs but said he had turned his life around after finding God and starting training in an east Belfast boxing gym – even winning a couple of semi-pro fights.
In December he was rallying support for Belfast man John George, who was murdered in Spain.
Burns promoted controversial protests outside business premises in north Belfast which had been targeted by supporters of the campaign to find Mr George, whose body at that stage had not been found.
Two years ago Burns was convicted of breaching a restraining order taken out by his ex-partner after he called her on the phone.
In January 2023, a police officer told Ballymena Magistrates Court: 'The victim has been deemed at high risk from the defendant and he has been flagged as a serial perpetrator of domestic violence.'
The restraining order was imposed after Burns set fire to two cars owned by his ex and her mother.
He phoned his former partner in February 2021 threatening her if she got him sent back to prison, warning he would 'burn her out'.
Later that night she looked out and saw Burns approach her Seat Ibiza.
James Burns
'He paused at the rear wheel, threw something using both hands and the vehicle immediately ignited,' a Crown lawyer said, adding that firefighters went to the scene but the car was gutted.
Minutes later he arrived at the home of the ex-partner's mother in Greenisland and set fire to her Hyundai i10.
Burns admitted arson, threats to damage property, breaching a non-molestation order and criminal damage to an electronic tag.
In 2015 Burns was jailed for St Patrick's Day attacks on police and smashing his mother's car.
The thug head-butted one of five officers it took to restrain him after they were called to his family home in Newtownabbey.
He was sentenced to four months in prison after admitting charges of criminal damage, two counts of assault on police, and resisting arrest.
Belfast Magistrates Court heard a neighbour phoned 999 claiming Burns was 'going mental', smashing windows on the Jeep Cherokee and fighting with relatives in the street.
A prosecutor said officers who went to his address requested back-up because of the defendant's reputation for aggression towards police.
The court heard Burns was initially calm at the scene but then stated: 'I'm going to kill each and every one of you.'
As police tried to handcuff him he started struggling and then head-butted one officer in the face.
According to the prosecution lawyer, Burns spat at another officer and kicked him on the leg.
'It took five police officers to restrain him as he was kicking out and struggling on the ground,' he added.
And in 2012 Burns damaged nine vans and a lorry at a dealership after rowing with his girlfriend.
The then 20-year-old, who joined the army straight out of school, was ordered to serve 200 hours' community service after he caused an estimated £2,700 worth of damage in the attack.
He pleaded guilty to smashing windows, breaking wing mirrors and denting panels on vehicles at the Mercedes-Benz depot in Mallusk.
In 2017 Burns was part of a loyalist mob that rioted in north Belfast after an Orange Order march was banned from passing Ardoyne shops.
He claimed to police he had psychotic breakdown and felt he was fighting the Taliban during the riot but a judge jailed him for three years.
He was spotted sometimes wearing a balaclava and sometimes not – chucking bricks and bottles at police lines and at one stage torched a bin.
He shouted at the judge the sentence was a ''f***ing disgrace' and said 'give that 18 months to Tony Blair'.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Irish Sun
a day ago
- The Irish Sun
Parents of Brit backpacker, 24, facing 20 years in prison over fatal e-scooter crash fly to Australia
THE parents of a British backpacker facing 20 years in prison over a fatal e-scooter crash have flown to Australia to be with their daughter. Alicia Kemp, 24, was denied bail in an Australian court after being charged over the horror smash that left 51-year-old Thanh Phan with 5 Alicia Kemp, 24, was denied bail in an Australian court after being charged over the horror smash Credit: TikTok / aliciashona 5 The psychology graduate from Redditch, Worcestershire, is accused of striking Phan from behind while speeding down a footpath Credit: TikTok / aliciashona 5 Thanh Phan, 51, was a devoted dad-of-two killed in the e-scooter crash Credit: LinkedIn The psychology graduate from Redditch, Worcestershire, is accused of striking Phan from behind while speeding down a footpath in The Brit had also been drinking for six hours before the crash, reports A neighbour in Redditch revealed that her parents had flown to Australia on Tuesday to be with their daughter, according to The Times. Prosecutors said Kemp had a blood alcohol content of 0.158 when she 'careered into his back' at up to 25km/h as the dad stood at a crossing on Saturday night. read more news The court heard walkers had to 'take evasive action' to avoid Kemp's 'inexplicably dangerous' riding, which was captured on CCTV. Her 26-year-old passenger also suffered a fractured skull and broken nose. Kemp, who was in Australia on a four-month tourist visa with her partner, had been working at Durty Nelly's Irish Pub in Perth. She had been drinking with a friend from 2.30pm - who was kicked out of a bar for being too drunk - before they hired the e-scooter just before 8.30pm. Most read in The Sun Her bail bid was rejected after a magistrate ruled she posed too great a flight risk. 'It's a very difficult decision for the court to make,' the magistrate said. Brit tourist, 18, reported missing for days in Thailand is arrested on 'drug offences' in Georgia 4,000 miles away 'The temptation might be that [she] won't return… I can't manage that risk.' Phan's devastated family described him as a 'beloved husband, father of two, brother, and dear friend', and are now calling for a crackdown on e-scooter safety laws. 'We also call for a review of the governance and safety regulations surrounding hired e-scooters to help prevent further serious incidents that put lives at risk,' they said in a statement. In a statement released through police, Phan's grieving family pleaded for privacy and called on authorities to tighten e-scooter hire regulations. 'We also call for a review of the governance and safety regulations surrounding hired e-scooters to help prevent further serious incidents that put lives at risk,' they said. Kemp remains in custody on remand and is due back in court on July 15. Police prosecutors argued that Kemp's status as a foreign tourist working in Perth made her a flight risk, and highlighted the severity of her charges. Western Australian police have confirmed they will continue to investigate whether any additional offences, including possible public nuisance charges, could be laid against Kemp. 5 The Brit had also been drinking for six hours before the crash, reports The Sydney Morning Herald Credit: TikTok / aliciashona 5 Durty Nelly's Irish Pub in Perth, where Kemp worked and allegedly started her six-hour drinking session Credit: Durty Nelly's
The Irish Sun
2 days ago
- The Irish Sun
‘TikTok addicted' mum-of-two, 29, who stole £300k from her firm to spend on ‘tokens' for favourite creators is jailed
A SOCIAL media "addicted" mum who stole £300,000 from her employer to blow on TikTok "tokens" has been jailed. Katherine Greenall was in tears in the dock yesterday as she was told she'd be locked up for pinching the vast sum from a car company where she worked as an accounts manager. 3 Katherine Greenall, 29, spent a whopping £300,000 on TikTok tokens Credit: Merseyside Police 3 TikTok tokens can be bought for real money and used to send creators virtual gifts Credit: Getty 3 Greenall was sentenced at Liverpool Crown Court on Friday Credit: PA:Press Association The mum-of-two, 29, spent the vast majority of the cash on TikTok tokens, which users can gift to their favourite creators. However, the court also heard Greenall also treated herself to holidays, hotel stays and Amazon purchases during her year-long "voyage of fraud and misadventure", reports the The thief claimed she now has only a few hundred pounds left in her bank account. Liverpool Crown Court heard on Friday afternoon, Greenall began working for St Helens-based New Reg Ltd, a technology firm which specialises in purchasing vehicles for clients, in a lesser role in April 2021. READ MORE NEWS The mum, of the town's Gloucester Street, was promoted in December 2022, giving her access to business bank accounts. Prosecutor Christopher Taylor was considered "vital" to the growing firm and described as "both trusted and respected" before it was found she was siphoning off the funds into her own accounts. Analysis of Greenall's bank statements showed during 2023 she received 53 unauthorised deposits totalling £57,036 from her employer. During this period, she also began increasing her spending at supermarkets, as well as other food outlets, sports retailers and Amazon Prime. Most read in The Sun The court heard she also used the funds to pay for a family solicitor. Her spree ramped up in the early months of the following year, boosting her bank balance by another £196,364.26 by April 2024. Such large sums going missing raised suspicions amongst Greenall's superiors and were put to the defendant in a meeting with the company director on May 1. She pledged to investigate before making a "final deposit" of £20,000 immediately after and then left the office claiming there was an illness in her family. Greenall would later admit criminality during a meeting six days later and she was arrested on May 13. She told detectives she had been "living a lavish lifestyle" and had only £700 in her bank account. The mum said initially she'd been using the stolen money to pay for household purchases before she began funding her TikTok "obsession". Tokens on the platform can be bought with real money and exchanged for virtual gifts that users can send to creators during live streams, which can then be exchanged back to real cash. Greenall said the crime spree came "at a time when she was low", the court heard. Overall, she pinched £443,523.26 out of the company over 121 separate transactions, and spent £301,162.55 on TikTok tokens. Her actions jeopardised the Paul Becker, defending, told the court that his client "may have been suffering from a form of addiction to TikTok", but stated that she had "no formal diagnosis to such an addiction". Greenall's two children, an 11-year-old boy with severe ADHD, and a six-year-old girl, are anticipated to be looked after by their mum's sister. The defendant admitted one count of fraud by abuse of position and was jailed for 28 months. One of her supporters told her "I love you" from the public gallery as Greenall was led away. Judge Neil Flewitt KC said: "It is a tragedy that those children are going to suffer as a result of your dishonesty. "I have taken the view that there is simply no way to avoid what I am sure you have been advised is the inevitable sentence of imprisonment. "This is simply too much money and too much damage caused here." Do you know more? Email
The Irish Sun
2 days ago
- The Irish Sun
My girlfriend dumped me after she had several affairs – and is lying to friends and family that I'm the cheater
DEAR DEIDRE: MY lazy girlfriend spent all day on TikTok and social media, while I worked, cleaned the house and looked after the kids. Now I've learned she was constantly setting up new hook-ups and conducting several affairs. I'm not even sure if both my children are actually mine, or if I've been bringing up one of her lovers' kids. Talk about disrespect. Now she has thrown me out and told everyone I'm the one who has been cheating on her, so they think I'm the bad guy. I don't know what to do. I'm 42 and she's 40. We've been together for 12 years and have two children, aged ten and eight. If I'm honest, she treated me badly from the start. She often lied about where she was going, met up with exes who she pretended were just friends and secretly messaged other men. But she was always ready with a good excuse and she used her charms to reel me back in. We only had sex when she wanted it, the way she wanted it. She'd use it to A couple of years after we had our first baby, a man turned up saying the boy was his. I was gutted as, by then, I loved the child. She denied it, of course. After that, we had patches where things were OK, but then she'd start being secretive again. If I said anything it would end up in a huge, nasty row. Dear Deidre After Dark- Understanding open relationships Last week, out of the blue, she told me to pack my stuff and leave. She accused me of having an affair — which is ridiculous, as there is no time, with a full-time job, housework and all the childcare. She has told her friends and family the same story, so they hate me. She said she'd just started seeing someone else. I think she has actually been seeing him for months. I feel like I've been used, chewed up and spat out. But if I tell people the truth they won't believe me. Please help. DEIDRE SAYS: You've been in an abusive relationship with a woman who sounds like a narcissist. She This is not your fault. You're a good man who has tried to do your best for your family. You need support for your emotional health, advice to make sure you continue to have a relationship with your children and that you get what you're legally entitled to. Don't worry about what others think. I'm sure they're aware of what she's really like. My support pack, Abusive Partner, will show you where to get help. For advice on your rights, contact Both Parents Matter ( Get in touch with Deidre Every problem gets a personal reply, usually within 24 hours weekdays. Send an email to You can also send a private message on the Thank you for advice when my guy faced a trial DEAR DEIDRE: WHEN my partner faced imprisonment, leaving me and our three children to manage alone, I was petrified. He was charged with assault and due to stand trial. I believed he was innocent, but we were warned he could face several years in prison. I'm in my mid-40s and we have been together since we were teenagers. The long lead-up to the trial was making me so anxious, and I didn't know how I'd be able to cope if he was sent down. But I couldn't tell him how worried I was as I didn't want to upset him more. I knew I needed to stay strong for our kids and stop feeling so depressed and weepy, so I wrote to you for advice. You were so understanding, telling me I needed support and shouldn't keep my feelings inside. You recommended I contact a charity called Prisoners' Families ( I appreciated that you didn't patronise me, acknowledging that simply saying 'don't worry' wasn't going to help. You sent me your support pack on Coping With Stress, which showed me ways to relax. Although I am still very anxious, I now feel better able to cope. Thank you Deidre. DEIDRE SAYS: I'm glad that my advice helped – but you're stronger than you think. Remember, there is support out there if your partner does go to prison. HURT BY HIS SEX TALK WITH EX, BUT I WANT TO REUNITE DEAR DEIDRE: I BROKE up with my boyfriend because he told his ex intimate details about our relationship, but now I'm wondering if I made a big mistake. I'm not sure if I can trust him, but I miss and love him. We're both in our late 20s and were together for 11 months. As our relationship developed, he sent out strong signals that he was thinking about marriage and was going to propose. But then I found out he was still good friends with his ex. She has a new partner, so I wasn't jealous, but I did feel uncomfortable. One day, a message from her flashed up on his WhatsApp. It asked if he'd had any more luck getting me into bed. I was horrified and humiliated, and had a massive row with my boyfriend, which led to us breaking up. We got back together, but after that I found it hard to trust him. He admitted he didn't want to give up his friendship with his ex. He also said that he wasn't ready to get married, and didn't know if he ever would be. I decided to end the relationship again. Now I'm not sure I did the right thing. I can't stop thinking about him. DEIDRE SAYS: It sounds like your ex boyfriend wasn't as happy about waiting for sex as he'd first appeared. It was wrong of him to share intimate details with his ex, but perhaps he needed to talk to someone he trusted. In a way, it's good he's been honest now and made it clear he isn't ready for marriage. It also sounds like he's not completely over his ex. If marriage is what you want, then perhaps it's better for you to find someone who shares your values and is ready for that commitment. If you get back together, the same issues will inevitably crop up again. It would be helpful for you to talk this through with a counsellor. TEENAGE TROUBLES DEAR DEIDRE: ONE of my mates believes I'm her best friend, but I find her spoiled and annoying. Three of us hang out together, but it's the other girl who's really my best pal, and she just gets in the way. We're all 16 and at school together. Last weekend, she got upset because she didn't want to go to a particular shop, so my best friend and I just went together. She says we should have included her and gone somewhere else. It's causing stress. What should I do? DEIDRE SAYS: Friendship groups can be tricky, as someone is always going to feel excluded. She sounds insecure. Maybe she's aware you prefer your other friend. Try to explain, kindly. But if things don't get better, you might need to distance yourself from her. My support pack, Rows With Friends, should help. Not measuring up DEAR DEIDRE: STANDING in the gym showers, I couldn't help noticing my penis doesn't measure up to other men's. I'm worried I'm I'm a 22-year-old guy. I've always thought my penis was on the small side – only a couple of centimetres flaccid – especially when compared to the men in porn films. But everything I read tells me size doesn't matter and that porn stars' penises are enormous compared to the average. So, I wasn't concerned, until I joined a new gym with communal showers. All the other guys looked so much larger than me. It made me feel really insecure. I'm not very sexually experienced, and my ex didn't say anything. Maybe she was just being nice. Is there anything I can do to make my penis larger? DEIDRE SAYS: Like ears and noses, penises come in all shapes and sizes, and their length when flaccid bears little relation to their erect size. Besides, many women feel girth is more important than length during sex. Also, looking down at your own penis has a foreshortening effect. It's probably not smaller than the other men's you compared it to – you're just viewing it from a different angle. Try not to worry. If your ex seemed satisfied in bed, why would you want to make your penis larger? While there are some implements and procedures that claim to increase size, they have a negligible effect, and surgery isn't recommended. Read my support pack, Penis Size, for more reassurance.
