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Belfast Telegraph
21-05-2025
- Belfast Telegraph
PPS to consider if Winston Irvine sentence should be appealed
Irvine was sentenced to two-and-a-half years, with half to be served in jail, at Belfast Crown Court on Tuesday following an incident where firearms and ammunition were found in the boot of his car. Irvine avoided a statutory five-year sentence on several of the charges he faced after Judge Gordon Kerr KC ruled that there were 'exceptional circumstances' in his case, namely Irvine's 'work for peace and his charity work in the community'. Ulster Unionist MLA Doug Beattie has said he will write to the PPS over the sentence. A PPS spokesperson said: 'While sentencing is a matter for the independent judiciary, the Director of Public Prosecutions does have the power to refer certain sentences to the Court of Appeal on the grounds that they may be unduly lenient. 'An unduly lenient sentence is one that falls outside the range of sentences that a judge, taking into consideration all relevant factors and having regard to sentencing guidance, could reasonably impose. 'The sentence must not just be lenient, but unduly lenient. 'We are considering whether there is a legal ground to refer the sentence in this case to the Court of Appeal.' An application by the PPS to review a sentence must be made within 28 days from the day when the sentence was imposed. If the Court of Appeal agrees that the sentence was unduly lenient, it may increase the sentence. Irvine's co-accused in the case, Robin Workman, was handed the statutory five-year sentence by Judge Kerr. He will also serve half of that term behind bars. Irvine, 49, of Ballysillan Road in north Belfast and Workman, 54, of Shore Road in Larne, County Antrim had both previously admitted possession of a firearm and ammunition in suspicious circumstances. They also admitted two counts of possessing a handgun without a certificate, one count of possessing ammunition without a certificate, possessing a prohibited weapon and possessing a firearm without a certificate. Workman further pleaded guilty to possessing a .177 calibre air rifle without holding a firearm certificate. The offences were committed on June 8, 2022 when Workman transported a quantity of weapons and ammunition to the Glencairn area of Belfast in his van, which were then put into the boot of Irvine's Volkswagen Tiguan car. A short time later Irvine's vehicle was stopped by police in Disraeli Street. A long-barrelled firearm, two suspected pistols, several magazines and a large quantity of ammunition were discovered inside a bag in the boot. While the judge noted that UVF paraphernalia was found in the homes of both defendants he did not consider there was a terrorist link to the weapons that were seized. Mr Beattie told the BBC Nolan Show: 'Here we have a man at a time when tensions were heightened in Northern Ireland due to issues around Brexit and the protocol who was found with weapons and ammunition. 'How on earth the judge can say there was no terrorist link to this is utterly bizarre if we don't know what the weapons were for.'
Irish Independent
16-05-2025
- Automotive
- Irish Independent
Number of animals euthanised after livestock lorry overturned on Co Armagh motorway
The motorway is still shut in some sections in the eastern direction near Lurgan, Co Armagh, following the incident which involved about 40 cows on Friday morning. David Doherty, area commander for the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service (NIFRS), said the driver 'is safe and well'. He told the BBC Nolan Show: 'At the minute, we have 30 firefighters on scene, we have appliances form Dungannon, Portadown and Armagh. 'We have two specialist animal rescue teams… and we have our specialist rescue team.'We have an overturned lorry. Thankfully, the driver is safe and well. 'There are 40 cattle trapped in the lorry, we are carrying out an extraction of those animals. 'We have a rescue plan in place, we are off-loading those animals into another vehicle and we will transport them away safely. 'It is a challenging operation at the moment.' We need your consent to load this Social Media content. We use a number of different Social Media outlets to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review your details and accept them to load the content He added: 'We have vets on scene at the minute to do an assessment on the animals. 'It is a multi-agency programme, and we have DAERA looking after the animal welfare. 'It will be a protracted operation. A large vehicle like this with two decks, which has obviously been affected by the impact of the crash. 'It is quite a comprehensive operation, that is why our specialist crew are here assisting our normal crews. 'It is quite a complex task for our firefighters.' Mr Doherty said rescue workers were moving as quickly as possible to free the cows. He said: 'We have to bring them out on to a safe environment, where we can put them on to another vehicle where they won't be exposed to any further harm.' We need your consent to load this Social Media content. We use a number of different Social Media outlets to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review your details and accept them to load the content A PSNI spokesperson said: 'The westbound lane on the M1 near Lurgan has now fully reopened, following an earlier closure due to an overturned cattle lorry. 'Some sections of the eastbound lane will remain closed while the vehicle is recovered. 'This may take a number of hours. 'Motorists travelling eastbound can come off at junction 13, travel along the Derryhubbert Road, where traffic lights will be in place, and back on to the M1 at junction 12.' A Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs spokesperson said: 'The department is aware of the accident and has deployed a vet and an animal health and welfare inspector to assist at the scene. 'The incident remains ongoing.' In a separate incident, the M1 is also closed following a collision closer to Belfast. A PSNI statement said: 'Road users are advised that a collision on the M1 eastbound, between Finaghy and the Blacks Road, city-bound, is causing delays. 'Please seek an alternative route if possible.'
RTÉ News
16-05-2025
- Automotive
- RTÉ News
Operation under way to free 40 cows after lorry overturns on M1
An operation is taking place to free cattle from a livestock lorry which overturned on the M1 in Co Armagh. The motorway is closed in both directions near Lurgan, Co Armagh, following the incident which involved about 40 cows this morning. David Doherty, area commander for the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service (NIFRS), said the driver "is safe and well". He told the BBC Nolan Show: "At the minute, we have 30 firefighters on scene, we have appliances from Dungannon, Portadown and Armagh. "We have two specialist animal rescue we have our specialist rescue team. "We have an overturned lorry. Thankfully, the driver is safe and well. There are 40 cattle trapped in the lorry, we are carrying out an extraction of those animals. "We have a rescue plan in place, we are off-loading those animals into another vehicle and we will transport them away safely. "It is a challenging operation at the moment. Unfortunately, both ways of the motorway are currently closed, and may be for several hours." He added: "We have vets on scene at the minute to do an assessment on the animals. "It is a multi-agency programme, and we have DAERA looking after the animal welfare. "It will be a protracted operation. A large vehicle like this with two decks, which has obviously been affected by the impact of the crash. "It is quite a comprehensive operation, that is why our specialist crew are here assisting our normal crews. "It is quite a complex task for our firefighters." Mr Doherty said rescue workers were moving as quickly as possible to free the cows. He said: "We have to bring them out onto a safe environment, where we can put them onto another vehicle where they won't be exposed to any further harm." The PSNI said the motorway closure is in place from junction 12 at Birches off the Dungannon Road junction and junction 13, known as Beatties junction, near the Black Island Road turn-off. A PSNI spokesperson said: "A closure remains in place on the M1 following an overturned lorry near junction 13 between Tamnamore and The Birches. "Motorists travelling city-bound on the M1 are advised to leave the motorway at junction 15, the Moy Road roundabout, and travel through Armagh before joining the M12 at Portadown. "The opposite applies to those travelling countrywards." A Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs spokesperson said: "The department is aware of the accident and whilst our vets are not required on the scene at the moment, we have offered support and resources to those on the ground. "The incident remains ongoing." In a separate incident, the M1 is also closed following a collision closer to Belfast. A PSNI statement said: "Road users are advised that a collision on the M1 eastbound, between Finaghy and the Blacks Road, city-bound, is causing delays.
Irish Daily Mirror
16-05-2025
- Automotive
- Irish Daily Mirror
'Complex' operation on major road to rescue 40 cows trapped after lorry crash
An operation is ongoing to free cattle from a livestock lorry after it overturned on the M1 on Friday morning. The motorway is shut in both directions near Dungannon, Co Tyrone following the incident, which involved about 40 cows, Belfast Live reports. David Doherty, area commander for the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service (NIFRS), said the driver 'is safe and well'. He told the BBC Nolan Show: 'At the minute, we have 30 firefighters on scene, we have appliances from Dungannon, Portadown and Armagh. 'We have two specialist animal rescue teams… and we have our specialist rescue team. 'We have an overturned lorry. Thankfully, the driver is safe and well. There are 40 cattle trapped in the lorry, we are carrying out an extraction of those animals. 'We have a rescue plan in place. We are off-loading those animals into another vehicle and we will transport them away safely. 'It is a challenging operation at the moment. Unfortunately, both ways of the motorway are currently closed, and may be for several hours.' A spokesperson for the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service confirmed one person was brought to hospital following the incident. A NIAS spokesperson said: "The Northern Ireland Ambulance Service received a 999 call at 05:27am on Friday, 16 May, following reports of a road traffic collision on the M1 Motorway "NIAS dispatched two Emergency Crews to the incident. Following initial assessment and treatment at scene, one person was taken to Craigavon Area Hospital by ambulance."
