Latest news with #CoLondonderry
The Independent
02-06-2025
- General
- The Independent
Mother of crash victim backs safety calls as school bus legislation announced
The mother of a schoolgirl who died in a road crash has backed road safety calls as planned new legislation around school buses is announced. Infrastructure Minister Liz Kimmins on Monday announced her intention for a law to prohibit the overtaking of school buses which have stopped to drop off or pick up passengers. Bereaved families were at Parliament Buildings on Monday to back an Opposition motion calling for stronger safeguarding measures at school bus stops, including requiring vehicles to stop for school buses and around road layouts. SDLP leader Clare Hanna said her party brought the motion, after meeting with bereaved families and safety campaigners following recent as well as less recent tragedies. She said it is clearly not a political campaign, and that they were glad to use Opposition Day time to work to achieve something meaningful for the bereaved families. Stella McMullan, whose daughter Caitlin-Rose died after being hit by a car when exiting her school bus in March near Castledawson, Co Londonderry, said she also wants to see improvements in bus safety, including safe places on road sides. 'My daughter unfortunately lost her life 88 days ago getting off her school bus,' she said. She said as well as targeting drivers, she also wanted to highlight places where school children get off buses where there is no footpath or bus shelters. 'My daughter died on a 60mph road where there was no footpath, no shelter and basically got off the bus on to a grass verge, so the bus pass she was issued was, I thought, a death sentence looking back now,' she said. 'I am here today to try and get the bus safety message out there, into schools, into the kids' minds, drivers and for every mother and father to talk to their kids about bus safety. 'Had there been bus safety in place, maybe I wouldn't have lost my daughter. That's where I am coming from today.' Bob Hogg, whose daughter Caitlin died in December 2022, two days after being struck after disembarking a bus near Kinawley, Co Fermanagh. 'We're very encouraged today that this motion has been brought forward, not just from a legislative perspective but hopefully this increases the general awareness in relation to school bus safety for all our kids,' he said. Ms Kimmins said road safety 'is a priority for me', adding recent tragic events have 'highlighted the need for all of us to be cognisant of the safety of children when they are getting on or off school buses'. 'Having asked officials within the department to explore the issue, it is now my intention to introduce legislation which will prohibit the overtaking of school buses,' she said. 'It is incumbent on drivers to take extra care around buses, and this was highlighted by my department's most recent advertising campaign. 'However, I believe strengthening the law around this issue is an important step in further improving safety for children here. 'I have met grieving families and heard their heartbreaking stories. I am committing to introducing legislation to help prevent more lives being devastated. 'Whilst legislation is being prepared, there are actions we can all take that will help us reach our goal – take more care on the roads, slow down and ignore our mobile phones.' She added that her department is using other measures to improve road safety including 20mph zones around schools and work on the delivery of the Graduated Driver Licensing scheme. She also confirmed measures will be put in place to reinforce existing policy around the proper use of signs and lights on buses carrying children to and from school. Under these new measures, fixed penalty notices will be issued to drivers who fail to operate these lights as required. It is intended that these new fixed penalties will be available for use by the beginning of the new school term in September. During Assembly question time on Monday, Ms Kimmins spoke on another aspect of road safety related to young people – the introduction of 20mph speed limits outside schools. The minister said zones had been introduced at 233 schools in Northern Ireland as part of a phased initiative in recent years, but she said she ultimately wanted to get to a place where all schools were protected by the speed reduction measures. 'We have to ensure that we're mitigating in every possible way against the risks that present on our roads every single day and particularly around our school children who want to get to and from school safely,' she said. DUP MLA and Stormont Infrastructure Committee chairwoman Deborah Erskine welcomed the announcement from the minister. 'This is a vital step in protecting our children as they travel to and from school,' she said. 'Far too often, we have seen reckless behaviour around school buses that puts young lives at risk. In my own constituency of Fermanagh and South Tyrone, we have experienced the devastating impact of such tragedies. ' Families have been left heartbroken by the loss of children. 'It was particularly poignant to see families who have suffered such loss present at today's announcement. Their persistence has helped bring this issue to the fore, and they deserve our deepest thanks.'
The Independent
21-05-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Legacy body ‘lacks powers of a public inquiry to examine Sean Brown murder'
The head of a legacy body has conceded it does not have the same array of powers that a public inquiry would to examine the murder of GAA official Sean Brown. The Irish Government is among those who have backed Mr Brown's family's long campaign for a public inquiry. Earlier this month, the Court of Appeal in Belfast affirmed a previous court ruling, compelling the UK government to hold a public inquiry into his killing. However, Northern Ireland Secretary Hilary Benn has applied for a Supreme Court appeal on the judicial rulings. Mr Brown, 61, the then chairman of Wolfe Tones GAA Club in the Co Londonderry town of Bellaghy, was ambushed, kidnapped and murdered by loyalist paramilitaries as he locked the gates of the club in May 1997. No-one has ever been convicted of his killing. Preliminary inquest proceedings last year heard that in excess of 25 people had been linked by intelligence to the murder, including several state agents. It was also alleged in court that surveillance of a suspect in the murder was temporarily stopped on the evening of the killing, only to resume again the following morning. In an interview earlier, Mr Brown's elderly widow Bridie, 87, said she does not know why her husband was killed, and reiterated her call for a public inquiry into his death to answer the questions her family has. 'I don't know why they chose Sean, I just do not know because he was the same with everybody,' she said during an interview on BBC's The GAA Social podcast. 'He treated everybody alike, he walked with both sides of the community.' She also paid tribute to the turnout of thousands in Bellaghy last Friday evening to support her family's campaign for a public inquiry. 'It was emotional,' she said. 'Never in my wildest dreams had I thought about so big a turnout.' Last month, Mr Benn said he is taking steps to ensure that the Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery (ICRIR) is capable of carrying out an independent and rigorous investigation into Mr Brown's murder. During an appearance at the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee, ICRIR chief commissioner Sir Declan Morgan was pressed by SDLP leader Claire Hanna on the Brown case. Sir Declan said if the case came to the ICRIR, his investigators would carry out a cold case review, a scoping exercise and would treat the case as a criminal investigation and gather all the evidence. 'But I agree that we could not do the next step which is subsequent to that, once the terms of reference have been set, and up to that point, we're definitely Article 2 compliant,' he told MPs at the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee. 'But the next bit is having identified what the issues are to then organise a hearing with proper representation by lawyers in relation to that, and also understanding that the sensitive information arrangements, in my view, need to be reviewed and the commission needs to be able to exercise proper challenge in relation to those.' Speaking outside the meeting, Ms Hanna said the ICRIR in its current form 'cannot fully meet the needs of the family of Sean Brown'. 'Today's comments from Sir Declan Morgan are welcome and shine a light on where the ICRIR falls short,' she said. 'Any further delay to the resuming and restarting of inquests alongside the continued denial of a public inquiry to the Brown family is the British Government delaying truth and justice. 'The SDLP is committed to the delivery of legacy structures that families can buy into. Sir Declan's comments underline our key concerns about deficiencies relating to participation by families in proceedings and the continued existence of a veto on information by the Secretary of State.'
Belfast Telegraph
17-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Belfast Telegraph
Historic NI gold medallist swaps Olympic rings for cattle rings at Balmoral
The Co Londonderry rower swapped Olympic rings for cattle rings as fans had the chance to get autographs and revel at her gold medal which she picked up at last summer's games in Paris.
The Independent
16-05-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Crowd backs calls for public inquiry into 1997 murder of GAA official
The home town of a GAA official murdered almost 30 years ago came to a standstill on Friday evening as thousands showed their support for his family's call for a public inquiry. It comes after the UK Government confirmed that it will seek to appeal to the Supreme Court over a court ruling that ordered it to hold a public inquiry into the killing of Sean Brown. Mr Brown's family met Irish deputy premier Simon Harris earlier this week as part of their campaign to see a public inquiry heard. Friday evening saw people travel from across Ireland, including as far away as Co Kerry, to Bellaghy to take part in a Walk For Truth event from St Mary's Church through the town to the home of Bellaghy Wolfe Tones GAC. Those in attendance included First Minister Michelle O'Neill, Sinn Fein president Mary-Lou McDonald, SDLP MLA Patsy McGlone and GAA president Jarlath Burns. Many wore GAA shirts from their home clubs or counties as they showed solidarity with the Brown family. There was a spontaneous round of applause for Mr Brown's family who led the procession as it reached the town centre. Mr Brown, 61, the then chairman of the club in the Co Londonderry town, was ambushed, kidnapped and murdered by loyalist paramilitaries as he locked the gates of the club in May 1997. No-one has ever been convicted of his killing. Preliminary inquest proceedings last year heard that in excess of 25 people had been linked by intelligence to the murder, including several state agents. It had also been alleged in court that surveillance of a suspect in the murder was temporarily stopped on the evening of the killing, only to resume again the following morning. Appeal Court judges in Belfast affirmed an earlier High Court ruling compelling the Government to hold a public inquiry. It said the failure to hold such an inquiry was unlawful. However, Northern Ireland Secretary Hilary Benn says the case involves a key constitutional principle of who should order public inquiries, the Government or the judiciary. Addressing the crowd, Mr Burns described the 'absolute barbarism' of the murder of Mr Brown as having 'only been matched by the depravity of what has happened since, when the family have been denied truth and justice and any sort of decency from the British Government'. He said Mr Brown would have been proud of how his family have campaigned for justice for him. 'We are not going to stop until we get the public inquiry that this family deserves,' Mr Burns said to applause. Mr Brown's daughter Claire Loughran thanked all those who turned out in support of her family. 'We're honestly overwhelmed by the turnout, it's incredibly touching to see so many people here and it means a great deal to us,' she said. 'It reminds us that although our journey for truth and justice has been long, we are not walking it alone.' Ms Loughran added: 'We won't stop, not until the truth is heard, not until justice is done and not until every family who suffers in silence knows that they are not forgotten.'
