Jailed UVF boss Winston ‘Winkie' Irvine wanted release from prison after just 14 days
According to sources, Irvine also planned to attend a gathering of UVF volunteers who met in secret at a Shankill Road social club to discuss his future.
The Shankill road Belfast, where the UVF held a meeting this week to expel former commander Winston 'Winkie 'Irvine
Jailed UVF boss Winston 'Winkie' Irvine spent just 14 days behind bars before asking to get back out again, the Sunday World has learned.
The 49-year-old loyalist — jailed for 15 months for having a weapons haul in the boot of his car — applied to be released on Wednesday.
Irvine begged the authorities at HMP Maghaberry to free him on compassionate grounds, so he could join relatives at the funeral of Shankill Road man Jim Braiden, who was cremated at Roselawn last Friday.
His request was turned down, with Irvine angrily protesting he would to take the matter to court for judicial review.
According to sources, Irvine also planned to attend a gathering of UVF volunteers who met in secret at a Shankill Road social club to discuss his future.
Winston 'Winkie' Irvine outside court during his trial
News in 90 Seconds - June 11th
Last Saturday, a top loyalist source told the Sunday World: 'If this had happened, it would have been like Winkie attending his own wake.
'There was only ever going to be one outcome from this meeting and that was Winkie Irvine being expelled from the UVF.'
And the source added: 'We all know Winkie has a brass neck. But, realistically, these were the actions of a desperate man clutching at straws.'
It is understood that amongst a litany of charges laid against Irvine at last Wednesday's meeting, was an allegation that during a search of his large detached home on the Ballysillan Road in north Belfast, police discovered sophisticated covert recording equipment.
Representatives from the UVF's A, B, C and D Coys attended the meeting, which lasted around two hours.
Veteran UVF boss John 'Bunter' Graham was present, according to sources, but significantly his deputy Harry Stockman — the man once tipped to take over the leadership reins — did not attend.
Police sources say Winkie Irvine's UVF unit was suspected of being behind a hoax UVF bomb incident at the Houben Centre in Ardoyne on March 25, 2022.
Winston Irvine
Former Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney was addressing a meeting at the time, when police interrupted him and escorted him to safety.
A funeral, which was going on in nearby Holy Cross Catholic Church, was also disrupted and houses in the vicinity were evacuated as army bomb disposal teams rushed to the scene.
Irvine wasn't charged in connection with the incident.
However, it is believed that after his arrest for possession of arms and ammunition, the Irish government used diplomatic channels to state it expected to see the leading loyalist before the courts.
During Wednesday night's meeting a litany of allegations were laid against Irvine:
Winkie was accused of having a malign influence on loyalism;
He was blamed for sparking the inter-loyalist feud with the UDA in August 2000, which resulted in the destabilising of the Shankill Road community. Witnesses claimed they saw him attacking a UDA marcher outside the Rex Bar;
It was also claimed that minutes later, while Irvine retreated to the safety of his Woodvale heartland, the top UFF gunman Sam 'Skelly' McCrory shot up the bar as customers barricaded themselves inside;
Some speakers claimed that within two years, Irvine had drug-dealing links with the LVF. It was claimed a 'rat run' supply line for drugs close to a Shankill Road social club was established;
Another speaker said the UVF leadership was made aware of Irvine's activities, but refused to take action;
It was also stated that he used his influence as a Commander in the UVF's B Coy to infiltrate community groups in the Woodvale and Twaddell areas;
And he was further said to have been behind the misappropriation of UVF Brigade funds. And when challenged about it, he persuaded another man to take the blame;
Irvine was also accused of running a security company which was in another man's name and of holding several company director positions;
Several speakers blamed Irvine for the continuing demise of the Progressive Unionist Party;
He was also accused of protecting friends involved in Shankill Road drugs activities; and, lastly Irvine stood accused of establishing close links with representatives of the Irish government, when it was perceived as being the ultimate enemy of loyalism.
The meeting concluded in agreement, there was no road back into the UVF for Irvine. And it is understood similar meetings will take place in other UVF Brigade areas in the near future.
Last weekend, Belfast-born historian Dr Aaron Edwards, who wrote a definitive book on the UVF, said the organisation was going through a period of turmoil.
Dr Edwards, who works at Royal Military Academt Sandhurst, told the Sunday World: 'Apparently the biggest criticism of Winston Irvine came from the UVF's A Coy, who had maintained the leadership for 60 years.
'Apparently, there was a lot of nervousness about the possibility of Irvine appearing back on the Shankill, when he gets out on licence next year.
'The internal pressure coming from the UVF rank and file is enormous. There were even accusation that the leadership were complicit in some of Irvine's activities.
'A crucial point though, is that a senior member of the UVF Brigade staff was not in attendance at [last] Wednesday night's meeting. Some even suggested he got Winkie to do his bidding.
'Winkie was accused of being a control freak and the collapse in the PUP vote was blamed on him. But the areas he controlled has run away from him since he has been inside,' he said.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Examiner
2 hours ago
- Irish Examiner
Cork man who told gardaí he was 'Denis Irwin – famous soccer player' is sent to prison
A man named Daniel Spillane from Gurranabraher identified himself to gardaí as 'Denis Irwin – famous soccer player', during a drunken incident and now he has been jailed for three months. Daniel Spillane of 18 St. Bridget's Road, Gurrabraher, Cork, came to the attention of gardaí because he was drunk and a source of danger to himself or others. He went on to tell gardaí at Cattle Market Street, 'F*** off out of my sight.' And when they asked him for his details he presented himself as the former Irish international and Manchester United defender. The incident dated back to November 10, 2019, when there was a disturbance at Cattle Market Street. Now at Cork District Court he has been jailed for a total of three months on the various public order charges. He pleaded guilty to charges arising out of this including being threatening and abusive and failing to give gardaí his correct details. Frank Buttimer, solicitor, said the 39-year-old had a history of addiction difficulties. In relation to the public order incident, Mr Buttimer said: 'It was a misjudgement of the situation by him.' Much more recently, on April 20 this year he was drunk and a danger and was threatening and abusive at Princes Street, Cork. The overall sentence imposed on him by Judge Mary Dorgan was one of four months in prison.
RTÉ News
3 hours ago
- RTÉ News
Government intends to change defamation laws in this term
Taoiseach Mícheál Martin has said that the Government intends to change Irish defamation laws. Speaking in response to a question on Gerry Adams recently winning a defamation case against the BBC, Mr Martin said that a change in the laws was needed to allow for a balanced environment. "I think the defamation laws need to be changed. We're going to change them. We've published heads of the bill, and Minister (for Justice, Jim) O'Callaghan is going to proceed. We're going to do it in this Government. We said we would," he said. "We will look at the pre-legislation, it'll go to the Oireachtas, but a lot of work has been done on it. Minister James Browne did a lot of work on that in the previous Government, he's a good legislator. "I think we do need to get it through to create a balanced environment for commentary and for investigative journalism," the Taoiseach added. Mr Adams took the BBC to court over a 2016 episode of its Spotlight programme, and an accompanying online story, which he said defamed him by alleging he sanctioned the killing of former Sinn Fein official Denis Donaldson, in which he denies any involvement. Last month, a jury at the High Court in Dublin found in his favour and awarded him €100,000, after determining that was the meaning of words included in the programme and article. The BBC, which was found by the jury not to have acted in good faith nor in a fair and reasonable way, was also ordered to pay the former Sinn Féin leader's legal costs. At the time, the director of BBC Northern Ireland Adam Smyth said there were "profound" implications from the jury's decision. "As our legal team made clear, if the BBC's case cannot be won under existing Irish defamation law, it's hard to see how anyone's could - and they warned that today's decision could hinder freedom of expression," he said.
Sunday World
3 hours ago
- Sunday World
Calls made for inquiry into Sunday World journalist's murder as killers walk the streets
Despite the Sunday World repeatedly identifying the people behind the killing, no one has been brought before the courts. Patrick Corrigan, Amnesty International UK's Northern Ireland director, Kathryn Torney freelance journalist and co-author and Seamus Dooley, the Irish secretary of the National Union of Journalists (NUJ). Liam McBurney/PA Wire Amnesty International and the National Union of Journalists have repeated calls for a public inquiry into the murder of Sunday World journalist Martin O'Hagan. No one has ever been charged with Martin's killing 24 years ago, despite repeated government pledges his killers still walk the streets. This week NUJ General Secretary Seamus Dooley said the failure to prosecute Martin's murder is a 'stain on the history of policing in Northern Ireland.' He was speaking at the launch of an Amnesty International report into threats against journalists working in Northern Ireland. Branding this place as the most dangerous place in the UK to work as a journalist the human rights organisation has called for a range of measures to better protect members of the press who are routinely threatened in the course of their work. The report – Occupational Hazard? – has been dedicated to Martin, murdered by the LVF in September 2001, and Lyra McKee shot and killed during dissident street violence in Derry in April 2019. Lyra McKee Seamus Dooley said an external and independent inquiry was the least Martin's family and colleagues deserve. 'I welcome the very strong focus in this report on the unresolved murder of my NUJ colleague Martin O'Hagan,' he said. The Police Ombudsman is currently compiling a report into the investigation on Martin's death which is due to be published later this year. 'The fact that no one has faced justice for his murder remains a stain on the history of policing in Northern Ireland. 'We urgently need to see the report of the Police Ombudsman and that publication should clear the way for an independent, external investigation into his killing and the circumstances surrounding his murder. ' Martin was shot dead as he walked home with his wife Marie after a night out in Lurgan. Shielding his wife he as struck several times in the drive by shooting and died at the scene yards from his house. The then Secretary of State John Reid pledged to staff in the Sunday World office that ``no stone would be left unturned'' in the pursuit of Martin's killers. Despite the Sunday World repeatedly identifying the people behind the killing of the first journalist murdered in the conflict, no one has been brought before the courts. Martin O'Hagan. Photo: PACEMAKER Today's News in 90 Seconds - June 12th 'We will never allow the murder of Martin O'Hagan to become another forgotten file. The fact that no one has been successfully prosecuted sends a signal to those who seek to intimidate and threaten the media, that in Northern Ireland journalists are fair game, that this is a place where you can get away with murder.' In the report Martin's family have repeated their calls for an independent inquiry. Solicitor Niall Murphy who attended the report's launch on Tuesday said at least two people involved in Martin's death were security force agents. 'The abject failure to conduct house searches, seize exhibits like clothing, gloves and God knows what else means that there was no evidence for a charge. When the police don't look for evidence then there is no evidence. This was clearly a flawed investigation.' The report exposes a series of flaws and broken promises in relation to Martin's murder. Former editor Jim McDowell said the failure to secure justice will not deter the Sunday World from campaigning for Martin. Patrick Corrigan, Amnesty International UK's Northern Ireland director, Kathryn Torney freelance journalist and co-author and Seamus Dooley, the Irish secretary of the National Union of Journalists (NUJ). Liam McBurney/PA Wire 'Martin's murder just cemented what we were at. We are gong to keep doing the job that Martin was doing and the rest of us were doing,' he said. 'That meant that other Sunday World journalists got threats. Nobody will ever stop journalists doing their job.' Over the course of a year Amnesty interviewed 22 journalists who have come under varying degrees of threat. From threatened rapes, assault, bomb and gun attacks, Amnesty has revealed there have been more than 70 threats against journalists since 2019 – the figure does not include unreported threats. Patrick Corrigan, Amnesty's Northern Ireland Director said the research revealed how journalists are exposed to threat. 'Journalists in Northern Ireland are facing a sustained campaign of threats, intimidation and violence from armed groups, which makes it the most dangerous place in the UK to be a reporter,' he said. 'They are being threatened, attacked and even killed for shining a light on paramilitary groups and others who seek to exert control through violence. This creates a climate of fear that many assumed was consigned to history when the Good Friday Agreement was signed. 'Yet there has not been a single prosecution for threats against journalists from paramilitary groups.'
