Gerry Adams: BBC will not appeal libel case victory
The BBC has confirmed that it will not be appealing Gerry Adams' libel case victory.The former Sinn Féin leader sued the corporation over a 2016 BBC Northern Ireland Spotlight story and online article on the murder of British agent Denis Donaldson.Last month, a jury found Mr Adams, 76, was defamed when it was alleged by an anonymous contributor that he sanctioned the 2006 killing and awarded him €100,000 (£84,000) in damages.The combined legal costs of both parties is estimated at between €3-5m (£2.5-4.2m), according to sources with knowledge of the case.
A BBC spokesperson said: "We have given careful consideration to the jury's decision. "We will not be appealing its verdict, bringing this matter to a conclusion. We remain committed to public interest journalism and to serving all BBC audiences."
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The Sun
12 minutes ago
- The Sun
Woman, 32, convicted of stabbing mum, 31, to death in front of her child at birthday party
A WOMAN has been found guilty of brutally stabbing a mother to death at a London house party. Hope Rowe, 33, attacked Charlotte Lawlor with a knife at a property in Stepney Green, east London, on September 15 last year. 5 5 Emergency services found Ms Lawlor in the foyer of the tower block just before 2am. Charlotte Lawlor suffered multiple stab wounds at the hands of Rowe with some of the victim's friends and family witnessing the brutal attack. Tragically, despite the best efforts of medical staff, Lawlor passed away from her injuries. Inner London Crown Court heard that Rowe stabbed Lawlor following an argument and then fled the scene in a car with her partner, Leigh Holder, 37. Armed cops caught up with the fleeing vehicle shortly after 2:10am and discovered only Leigh Holder inside. He told cops that Rowe had jumped out of the car shortly after fleeing the crime scene and claimed he didn't know where she was. The court heard that Rowe left a voicemail on Holder's phone as they drove away together, which recorded her telling him that it was 'good' she had killed Ms Lawlor, before Holder instructed her to dispose of the knife and to avoid the police. The knife used to kill Lawlor has never been found despite the best efforts of police. In the early morning the following day the court heard Rowe went to Bethnal Green Police Station where she was arrested on suspicion of murder. She provided no comment during a police interview and later claimed her actions were due to a momentary loss of control. On Friday, a jury at the London court found Rowe guilty of murder and Holder guilty of perverting the course of justice. Rowe and her partner Holder will be sentenced at the court on July 9. 5 5 Det Sgt Dean Musgrove, from the Met Police's specialist crime north unit, said: 'Hope Rowe launched a brutal attack on Charlotte Lawlor at what should have been a joyous occasion. 'Our thoughts are with the victim's family and friends, who will have to contend not only with the loss of a loved one, but with the trauma of having witnessed the killing. 'As if the killing was not senseless enough, Rowe then tried to deceive investigators, disposing of the knife before turning herself in. 'It still has not been found to this day, and both Rowe and her partner were incriminated by a voicemail accidentally recorded on Rowe's phone.' The victims parents said in a statement they were 'happy' with the verdict, adding: 'We would like to thank the jury for their attention during the trial. 'The family will never get over the loss and murder of Charlotte. It has destroyed us, leaving a gaping hole. "Charlotte's son, Riley, has been left without a mum, and siblings without their older sister and best friend. Charlotte brought light to everyone's life.' 5
Daily Mail
13 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
'The French police? No problem!' Shocking boasts of smirking people smuggler to undercover MoS reporter shows why MPs are demanding to know what we get for the staggering £480m we give France to stem the tide of illegal migrants
Flanked by impassive henchmen deep inside a ramshackle migrant camp, the kingpin of a major people smuggling operation cracks into a cynical smirk. Laughing off any suggestion that the French police might stop his dinghies crossing to Britain, the trafficker boasts in broken English how the gendarmes not only pose 'no problem' for his criminal trade, but actually make it 'easy' for him. His damning comments – caught on video by undercover Mail on Sunday reporters last week – reveal just how little French authorities are doing to prevent the record numbers of small-boat crossings, despite receiving £480 million from the UK to tackle the issue. Though shocking, the ruthless Iraqi-Kurdish trafficker's assessment was proved right the very next morning. A boat crammed with more than 50 migrants sailed away from a beach near the tented migrants' village in Northern France as ten officers in riot gear stood idly by. The rare glimpse into the workings of a ruthless trafficker comes as part of a Mail on Sunday investigation into how these hardened criminals are running rings around police and making a mockery of Sir Keir Starmer 's vow to 'smash the gangs'. More than 15,000 people have arrived in the UK in small boats so far this year – up 42 per cent on the same period in 2024. Today, our investigation can reveal that: The Home Office fears police patrols in northern France are depleted in the busy summer months as officers are redeployed to the south to help with the tourist season; One gendarme said there were simply 'not enough' officers to deal with the number of migrants, despite the UK's huge handout to bolster patrols; Smugglers are now launching dinghies further up the coast then having migrants wade into the sea to board them, where police will not intervene; A migrant detention centre that was supposed to be built in Dunkirk with British taxpayers' money appears to be just an empty industrial site after construction was delayed. His damning comments – caught on video by undercover Mail on Sunday reporters last week – reveal just how little French authorities are doing to prevent the record numbers of small-boat crossings. Pictured: Migrants set off aboard a small boat from the beach at Gravelines The findings sparked outcry from MPs last night, with Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp slamming the French response as 'completely useless'. It is thought that well over 1,000 migrants are currently squatting in squalid camps around Calais and Dunkirk, waiting to take advantage of the calm summer seas to set sail for Britain. The Mail on Sunday found hundreds of men, women and children gathering around the town of Grande-Synthe, a suburb to the west of Dunkirk. Here they have established a self-sufficient commune akin to the notorious Calais 'jungle' that was shut down in 2016. Makeshift cafes feed dozens of hungry mouths, and barbers ply their trade. But these ramshackle settlements have also seen escalating violence between desperate migrants and callous people smugglers. Last weekend, a 27-year-old migrant from Yemen was shot twice at the jungle camp in neighbouring Loon-Plage, while two migrants and two security guards were killed in December. Frenzied activity surrounds a shopping centre in Grande-Synthe, where migrants top up on supplies before catching the free local bus service to and from the camps. It was here that our undercover reporters, posing as a family who wanted to get their Indian cousin across the Channel, met a young Sudanese migrant named Abbas, who led us to the headquarters of the kingpin people trafficker. After trekking through dense foliage and over a railway track, the group finally reached a small clearing dotted with tents, water stations and roaming chickens. Our reporters were interrogated by a series of henchmen, with one suspecting a police sting, before the boss finally emerged after almost an hour of nervous waiting. Wearing a blue hoodie and white baseball cap, the trafficker, who gave his name as Mamand, said he had boats up to 32ft long that could take around 55 migrants across the Channel at a cost of £1,270 each (€1,500) – meaning he could be pocketing up to £70,000 per trip. To aid his faltering English, Mamand used a cigarette lighter to illustrate how his boats slipped past beach patrols before being escorted to English waters by French maritime 'security'. Pictured: Migrants set off from Gravelines This is less than half what it often costs during winter, with the discounted price most likely due to the greater amount of business smugglers can do in fair weather. Smiling, he said the French police posed 'no problem' to his criminal enterprise. 'We send one boat, maybe the police take,' he said. 'But we take another [at the same time]. We send. We do not stop.' He told our undercover reporters: 'You can sleep here' ready for their crossing which 'may be tomorrow, maybe after tomorrow, maybe today. Which day water is good, if everything is good, we send.' To aid his faltering English, Mamand then used a cigarette lighter to illustrate how his boats slipped past beach patrols before being escorted to English waters by French maritime 'security'. Asked if this meant the French were helping the migrants, he replied: 'Only in water, help. If problem [with the dinghy in the water, they] come in. If no problem, go,' he said, waving his hands dismissively. Asked if this meant the journey was made easy, the trafficker replied: 'Yes.' His words underline growing frustration with the French navy, who have been accused of 'escorting' dinghies to English waters, intervening only if the boats run into trouble, but otherwise allowing their free passage. The following morning, the smuggler's claims played out with unerring accuracy. At about 5am on Wednesday, we watched on as a boat overloaded with migrants sailed from Gravelines beach – around 12 miles west of Dunkirk – where ten gendarmes stood idly by, either powerless or unwilling to stop them. At one point, a naval vessel sped towards the dinghy as it appeared to struggle in choppy waters. But once it seemed safe, the French boat turned back and left it on its way. The dinghy was one of six boats carrying 400 migrants that arrived in England that day. French police say their hands are tied by maritime law, which means they are not allowed to intercept boats once they are in the water for safety reasons. On Wednesday morning another tactic was on display. While migrants gather at designated beachheads, smugglers launch their dinghies from a secret location elsewhere on the coast without passengers. When they get to the assembly points, the migrants wade into the sea and clamber on to the vessels – because once they are in the water the police do not intervene. Mamand said he had up to four pick-up spots around Dunkirk. One gendarme at Gravelines on Wednesday told us that he had been on patrol in town when three colleagues on the beach called for back-up after spotting a dinghy coming into view from the east. But by the time reinforcements arrived, there was nothing they could do, as the migrants were already boarding the boat. 'We try to do our best,' the officer said. 'As you can see, we are not going in the water because it's dangerous for us and it's dangerous for them. If you go in the water, you have to take care. 'If we try to stop them in the water and they drown, it is our fault under the law, currently.' French police say their hands are tied by maritime law, which means they are not allowed to intercept boats once they are in the water for safety reasons. Pictured: Police enter the water to try to stop migrants boarding small boats at Gravelines He added: 'Three police for 50 migrants – it is not enough.' By Friday, though, the gendarme had seemingly overcome their reluctance to get wet, as officers were pictured knee-deep in water, dragging migrants ashore. In an apparent change in tactics, police even used tear gas and pepper spray to disperse migrants from the beach. The operation, though, was only a partial success, as some boats still made it out to sea. Meanwhile, a local politician in Boulogne, about 25 miles to the west of Calais, summed up the French attitude. 'OK, the British have given us millions of pounds and the cameras and drones help the gendarmes spot the migrants,' he said. 'But in England the authorities meet the migrants off the boats and take them to hotels. 'The impression we get is that the English are quite happy to see them. Otherwise why would they put them up in hotels? The magnet for the migrants has always been England. It's El Dorado. So let the migrants sail over to the UK and let the British sort out its problem.' Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp said: 'Despite the huge amounts of money we have paid them, the French response is completely useless. 'Migrants are able to circulate freely and even if they are stopped on the beach they are released so they can try again the next day. It is totally unacceptable that the French do not intercept at sea, as the Belgians do, but instead usher illegal immigrants into UK waters. 'It is no surprise that so far 2025 has been the worst year in history for illegal immigrants crossing the Channel. Labour's claim to smash the gangs lies in tatters.' Reform MP Lee Anderson said: 'None of this should come as any surprise. I went to the camps three years ago and it was obvious then that French police were turning a blind eye. Nothing has changed. 'I don't blame them – it's our fault. Fundamentally, by the time migrants reach Calais, they're in England. It might take them 20 attempts to get here, but they're not going anywhere else because they have so much help, not just from people traffickers but from non-government organisations. 'Arresting the traffickers won't work. Even if you lock up a gang leader for 30 years, 20 more will take his place because the cash rewards are so great. 'The only solution is to stop putting migrants in hotels when they arrive. Turn them around and send them straight back to France.' A Home Office spokesman said: 'We are strengthening our vital cooperation with France to disrupt the gangs behind these crossings. 'From this month, a new unit of dedicated officers has been mobilised to increase patrols along the northern coast of France. 'At the same time, the French authorities are working to amend their operational policy to allow maritime forces to intervene in shallow waters.'
BreakingNews.ie
18 minutes ago
- BreakingNews.ie
Taoiseach warns 'zero tolerance' stance needed on racist attacks in Northern Ireland
Taoiseach Micheál Martin has warned that a 'zero tolerance' position must be taken on racist attacks in Northern Ireland. Speaking to the media in Cork today, Mr Martin expressed hope the that the violence of recent days would ease before marching season in the North. Advertisement 'I think it (violence) will ease. I fervently hope that because many of the politicians that I spoke to over the last two days have been in the communities. The vast majority of people in these communities do not want this type of activity." Mr Martin expressed concern at the 'dangerous, wanton violence' and the 'intimidation of families' which has been on display in the north in recent days. 'No government is immune, no country or society is immune from this type of violence that is racially motivated, let's be honest and call it out for what it is. "What is interesting is we had the British-Irish Council over the last two days in Co Down and the rioting happened parallel with that – I am not saying there is any connection other than when we last had British Irish Council in Dublin, it was the night of the Dublin riots. Advertisement "I remember the following morning the First Ministers of Scotland and Wales and the UK government representatives that were there at the time all said we've all had similar experiences. "This is very, very dangerous - this kind of wanton violence but worse, the intimidation of families was quite burning out of homes." "Hilary Benn, the (Northern Ireland ) Secretary of State – he was in the homes, he saw a man coming along with boxes trying to collect their belongings. But he said the place was charred and burnt out and these are scenes we cannot condone. (We) must have zero tolerance for (this).' Mr Martin said that we must support the respective police forces, in this case the PSNI, the gardaí and others when they are confronted with scenes of 'shocking violence." Advertisement "(The Northern Ireland executive) is providing additional resources to the PSNI to give them greater capacity to deal with situations like this - they have got to lead from the front as well in terms of calling it out which I witnessed." "Both the First Minister and the Deputy First Minister did (that) yesterday at the press conference at the conclusion of the British Irish Council and that is the key to dealing with this and also more long term." Ireland 'Fight to defend Irish neutrality is on', Sinn Féi... Read More Mr Martin also emphasised that need to create a 'better climate and culture within society.' "We do need to engage with communities and hear what communities are saying in given locations, and also continue our awareness and education around difference and around generating a culture of plurality which I witnessed recently in a school." "Unfortunately social media just put their attention on people – I saw recently after the marches in Cork, two pubs being selected and picked on – (on) social media." "That is dangerous stuff – these pubs are social places in Cork which we cherish, which our people cherish – we don't want anything getting in the way of normal life and normal living."
