Latest news with #RobinWorkman
Belfast Telegraph
28-05-2025
- Belfast Telegraph
Decision to place UVF chief Winkie Irvine in Maghaberry's segregated loyalist wing is slammed
Irvine was sentenced last week for firearms offences. According to reports, the 49-year-old asked to be placed on the paramilitary wing despite not being convicted of any terrorism-related offences. Irvine, from Ballysillan Road in north Belfast, was handed a two-and-a-half year sentence after he admitted a range of firearm and ammunition offences – a sentence well below the minimum five years for the offences admitted. He will spend half in custody and the rest on licence. At Belfast Crown Court, his co-accused, Robin Workman (54), of Shore Road, Larne, was sentenced to five years – half of which will be served on licence. Both men had pleaded guilty to possessing firearms and ammunition in suspicious circumstances. While judges must take account of aggravating and mitigating factors when sentencing, questions have been raised over Judge Gordon Kerr's sentence. Ex-UUP leader Doug Beattie is among those who have raised concerns. 'It's going from the bizarre to the ludicrous in so many ways,' he told BBC Radio Ulster's Nolan Show. 'The more you look at this, the more you just cannot understand what's going on. To the person on the street, it's unfathomable where we find ourselves now. 'I've said this before – take away the personality, take away the flag of convenience that these people use, look at this with the facts in front of you. 'They tell you this man was a serious danger. Those weapons were destined to go somewhere or were coming from somewhere. That needed the minimum sentence. Then you add the personality to it and you suddenly realise this person has been given so much privilege in what he's been doing. 'This should have been an aggravating factor. He should have got more than five years because of that. It's absolutely ludicrous.' Mr Beattie said ending segregation in prisons should have happened a long time ago. 'On the issue of separation in prison, I believe it should be gone,' he added, referring to the practice which allows prisoners convicted of paramilitary offences to be housed with fellow paramilitary prisoners. 'It might not be as privileged as people think. I did notice on one occasion where prisoners are locked in their cells to eat lunch, for example, whereas those on the separate regime are allowed to freely mingle together. They get more time out of their cells. 'But that's not the point here. The point is we in society are trying to get rid of those who class themselves as brigadiers in our society. We go through the law, put them in jail, and what do we do in jail? We put them on a wing that gives them that kudos of being a brigadier. When they come out, they go back to doing exactly what they were doing before with that extra kudos hanging over their shoulders. 'That's why I have always argued that the separated prison regime should go. It should have gone a long time ago. 'I will be meeting the Director of Public Prosecutions today for a long-standing appointment about sentencing in general, but I will be raising this particular issue. 'The confidence in our justice system is at an all-time low because of the way we look at issues of sentencing, and particularly at issues like this where somebody was caught with weapons, live ammunition and still hasn't said what they were for and where they were going. 'It's absolutely rubbing the noses of law-abiding citizens into the ground when we see something like this happening. There may be good reasons for all of this, but if that's the case then people need to come out and tell us what those good reasons are. We need that transparency and I haven't seen that. 'I cannot understand why Winston Irvine was not charged under terrorist legislation and why he was not sentenced under terrorist legislation. All of the evidence, as far as I'm concerned as a lay person, tells me there is absolutely a link here.' Watch: Winston 'Winkie' Irivine arrives at Laganside Courts The Northern Ireland Prison Service does not comment on individual prisoners. On the wider issue of separation - if a prisoner, whether sentenced or on remand, applies for and subsequently meets the criteria set by the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland for separation, then the Prison Service holds that individual in accommodation apart from the integrated population.'A spokesperson for the Department of Justice said: '
Belfast Telegraph
28-05-2025
- Belfast Telegraph
New UVF chiefs stamp authority by setting fire to Catholic man's property
'This attack is the UVF's new leaders telling the community that things aren't going to change' Larne UVF flexed their muscles this week after their leader Robin Workman was jailed by torching the car of a Catholic man. The paramilitary gang set fire to a car belonging to a man who had a run-in with Workman over an unpaid debt before the 54-year-old was jailed for five years last week for having a bag of guns and ammunition which he gave to leading loyalist Winkie Irvine.
Sunday World
27-05-2025
- Sunday World
New UVF chiefs stamp authority by torching Catholic man's property
'This attack is the UVF's new leaders telling the community that things aren't going to change' The burnt cars and shed, and right, Alan Cowan who has taken over the Larne UVF temporarily while Workman is in prison Larne UVF flexed their muscles this week after their leader Robin Workman was jailed by torching the car of a Catholic man, we can reveal. The paramilitary gang set fire to a car belonging to a man who had a run-in with Workman over an unpaid debt before the 54-year-old was jailed for five years on Tuesday for having a bag of guns and ammunition which he gave to leading loyalist Winkie Irvine. The gang also set fire to another vehicle in the same area which is understood to belong to the man's elderly parents. Today's News in 90 Seconds. Sources in the town say the timing of the attacks was very deliberate and designed to show the community the UVF still run the town despite their leader being banged-up. And they say Workman ordered the arson attack himself as he wanted to remind people he was still in charge. But we can reveal the man who has stepped into the shoes of their caged leader temporarily is his number two in the Larne UVF and notorious loan shark, Alan Cowan. The burnt cars and shed The 48-year-old, an associate of the notorious UVF double agent Mark Haddock, was previously named in court by police as being 'highly influential' in the UVF and 'involved in the UVF'. Two weeks ago we revealed how people in Larne were celebrating after Robin Workman was remanded in custody ahead of his sentencing for having a stack of firearms and ammunition in suspicious circumstances in June 2022. They told us Workman had been portraying a false image of himself for years – that of a decent man with a legitimate business in the building trade. But they say the truth was very different and that Workman was a bully who made people's lives a misery as his gang exploited people through loan-sharking and extortion rackets. 'They just randomly fine men and young fellas thousands of pounds. If they answer back or question it, more money is added on to their bill.' So there was joy amongst the community when Workman was sent to Maghaberry Prison and will now serve two-and-a-half years behind bars with the same amount served on licence afterwards. Robin Workman But those celebrations were short-lived as the new boss appears to be very much the same as the old boss and wanted to stamp his authority. The Sunday World understands the target of the UVF arsonist was the Catholic man who the UVF said owed them money and had already been subjected to an assault at a local social club. 'This guy is a Catholic man but he's popular and well-liked by both sides of the community – he wasn't targeted because of his religion,' said a source. 'Seemingly it was because he had started a relationship with a woman who had been the partner of a UVF man. 'Robin Workman told him he had to pay a £2.5K debt for that but he didn't pay. The man questioned it to others and called Workman a few names but it was reported back. 'Then someone walked into the social club and punched him in the face and added two-and-a-half grand to the bill. 'Now Workman is behind bars they have targeted his car and shed. They even set fire to his parents car which people are particularly angry about because they are elderly. 'This is the new leaders making a statement to the community that nothing is going to change and the UVF isn't going to leave them alone just because their boss is behind bars. 'It's disgusting – people are fed-up with the lot of them and wish they would just leave people to live in peace.' The burnt cars and shed Cowan was arrested in 2017 as part of a police investigation into a feud which had seen a number of homes attacked by masked men. It was during this that police described him in court as being high up in the UVF however his solicitor said Cowan strongly denied any such involvement with the terror group. But multiple sources have told the Sunday World that Cowan is the new UVF leader and was regarded as an enforcer – sent to collect unpaid debts. A PSNI spokesperson told the Sunday World: 'Police received a report of a car on fire in the Garron Walk area of Larne shortly before 11.40pm on Wednesday, May 21. 'Officers attended, along with colleagues from the Northern Ireland Fire & Rescue Service. The fire spread to a second vehicle, a fence and a shed. A car at a neighbouring property was also damaged. 'Thankfully, there were no reports of any injuries, although residents have been left shaken. This is being treated as arson, and enquiries are ongoing to establish the circumstances. 'Anyone with information, including dashcam, CCTV or other video footage is asked to contact police on 101, quoting reference 2092 of 21/5/25.' Alan Cowan who has taken over the Larne UVF temporarily while Workman is in prison Sentencing Workman at Belfast Crown Court, Judge Gordon Kerr KC said there was no history of offending or causing serious harm. But he added "there is no evidence of any exceptional circumstances" and the statutory minimum sentence must be imposed. Both Workman and Irvine were led from the dock in handcuffs into custody. After the hearing, the PSNI released photos of one of the guns and some of the ammunition seized from Irvine's car. 'Illegal firearms are synonymous with violence', said Det Supt Moutray, from the PSNI's Serious Crime Branch. 'We are committed to apprehending perpetrators and this demonstrates our commitment towards keeping people safe from the fear, intimidation and control illegal firearms can cause.'
BBC News
21-05-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Winston Irvine: Doug Beattie to write to PPS over loyalist's sentence
The former Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) leader has said he will write to the Public Prosecution Service (PPS) over the sentence handed to high-profile loyalist Winston Tuesday, the 49-year-old of Ballysillian Road in north Belfast was given a two and a half year sentence, after previously admitting to a range of firearm and ammunition will spend half of his two and a half year sentence in custody and the other half on Beattie described the sentence as "bizarre" following Irvine's choice to not give any explanation for the weaponry discovered in June 2022. Belfast Crown Court heard Irvine had made no comment during police interviews, providing a prepared statement outlining his reputation as a "trusted interlocutor" during Northern Ireland's peace sentencing, the judge said despite the guilty plea, he did not consider the crimes to be connected to said that reasoning was "appalling". "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," he told BBC Radio Ulster's Nolan Show."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." 'Sentence' sends out a bad message Irvine's co-accused, 54-year-old Robin Workman, of Shore Road in Larne, was sentenced to five years - the minimum custodial said there were questions over why Irvine did not receive the mandatory term and said he will be writing to the PPS over the decision."I don't think that there is any exceptional circumstances to carrying guns around our city," he added."You can't say you're a peacemaker on one hand, and then during the day time you help move deadly weapons and ammunition around the place. "The two don't match together."The UUP's justice spokesperson said that the sentence sends out a bad message, and said the judiciary needs to get "a grip of this".
BBC News
20-05-2025
- BBC News
Winston Irvine jailed for firearm offences
The high-profile loyalist Winston Irvine who previously admitted a range of firearm and ammunition offences has been given a 30-month 49-year-old of Ballysillan Road in north Belfast will spend half of that in custody and half on Belfast Crown Court, his co-accused Robin Workman, 54, of Shore Road, Larne was also sentenced to five years; half to be served on men previously pleaded guilty to possessing firearms and ammunition in suspicious circumstances. They also admitted two counts of possessing a handgun without a certificate, possessing a prohibited weapon and possessing a firearm without a further pleaded guilty to possessing an air rifle without a the offences were committed on 8 June 2022.A previous court hearing was told that police said Workman transported a quantity of weapons and ammunition to the Glencairn area of Belfast in his van which police believed were then put into the boot of Irvine's 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 holdall in the made no comment during police provided a prepared statement claiming: "I have developed a reputation as a trusted interlocutor engaging with the community on key outstanding issues in relation to the NI peace and political process." No connection to terrorism, court told During sentencing Judge Gordon Kerr KC said Mr Irvine pleaded guilty to possessing the weapons in suspicious circumstances but declined to give any explanation to police or the he said he did not consider it to be connected to terrorism."The prosecution accepts there is no such evidence."The judge said he did not consider it proper to impose the statutory minimum sentence for five years and that "the sentence should reflect the defendant's circumstances"."I'm obliged to consider if the defendant is dangerous. There are no examples on his record" he judge said he considered previous references which described Irvine's "character and long-term commitment to peace building in Northern Ireland".References had been provided by former policing board member Deborah Watters and Loyalist Communities Council Chair David Campbell at earlier court court was told Mr Irvine had worked with the highest levels of government and that he had "devoted most of his adult life to peace".Judge Kerr KC said he also considered that the weapons had been described by the defence as "low grade" that were not to be used in terrorist sentencing Robin Workman, the judge said he had no doubt the defendant is highly thought of by those who had given references and there was no history of offending or causing serious he added "there is no evidence of any exceptional circumstances" and that the statutory minimum sentence must be imposed."I consider there is no basis on which parity with Irvine must be appropriate," he said. Both men were led from the dock in handcuffs into custody.
