3 days ago
Loyalist prisoners issued ‘hands-off' order as UVF gun runner begins sentence
Winston 'Winkie' Irvine is over two weeks into a 30-month sentence after being convicted of a raft of arms charges.
The UVF has issued a 'hands-off' order as gunrunner Winston 'Winkie' Irvine goes onto the loyalist wing in Maghaberry.
The one-time UVF commander is two weeks into a 30-month sentence after being convicted of a raft of arms charges.
After a short time on the committal wing he has now moved to the loyalist wing, which houses 13 UDA and UVF prisoners including those recently convicted of the murder of Ian Ogle in 2019.
It is understood he will be joined by Robin Workman, who was convicted alongside him but who was handed a five-year term despite being the lesser participant in the incident, which saw police discover a bagful of guns and ammunition in the boot of Irvine's car.
There are obvious tensions surrounding his conviction and many questions remain unanswered as to what was he doing driving through Belfast with a carload of weaponry.
Winston 'Winkie' Irvine
News in 90 Seconds - 6th June 2025
Irvine is a deeply divisive figure, distrusted by UVF members but backed by the terror group's leadership.
Now the Sunday World understands chief of staff John 'Bunter' Graham has issued a decree that Irvine is not to be touched while serving his sentence.
UVF members are convinced Irvine, former commander of UVF B Company in the Woodvale area of the Shankill, has compromised many volunteers down the years.
He is also distrusted over his roles in attempting to resolved parades dispute, in particular the three-year stand off at Twaddell Avenue which saw the Orange Order admit defeat in their attempts to complete their Twelfth return parade to Ligoniel, which would have taken them past the Ardoyne shops flashpoint.
Irvine has told friends he intends to take up where he left off when he gets out — which is likely to be within a year with time served and half his sentence on probation.
And he is counting on the continued support of Graham and his trusted sidekick 'Harmless' Harry Stockman.
John 'Bunter' Graham
Despite deep suspicion surrounding Irvine, the pair have stood firm with him.
His extensive contacts with both the British and Irish governments guaranteed a flow of grant aid and funding for community and ex-prisoner projects in loyalist areas.
Irvine himself secured a stream of publicly funded jobs.
At various intervals Irvine has been on the payroll at the Woodvale and Shankill Community Association, Intercomm, a conflict resolution organization which also employed a number of Sinn Féin members, the Duncairn Community Partnership, WGS Residential, WGS Green Energy, North Belfast Policing and Community Partnership and Building Cultural Networks.
He is also the organiser of an annual parade on the Shankill in memory of UVF man Brian Robinson, who was shot dead by an undercover army unit in 1989.
Despite pleas from the family — who did not support such an event — he went ahead, securing grant aid and charging traders for food stalls.
He was also behind the Woodvale Festival, which is understood to receive funding from Belfast City Council.
Robin Workman
In references handed to court during his criminal proceedings, Irvine's work in trying to help broker a peace settlement in Afghanistan was praised.
There is no threat against Irvine and as long as he has the backing of the leadership he will be left alone, but his time behind bars is sure to be uncomfortable.
He had confided in friends that he was dreading his stint in the clink because, despite a long paramilitary career, he has no convictions.
Until his guns rap, Irvine never faced criminal charges despite being identified as the masked man reading a statement on behalf of the UVF, and pictured in the Sunday World in 2005 rioting in north Belfast, which earned him the nickname 'Winkie The Crate'.
He is also suspected of abandoning a cache of weapons recovered by police during the loyalist feud of 2000.
'The leadership has been discredited and embarrassed about what happened with Winkie,' said our source.
There has yet to be an explanation as to what Irvine was doing with a bag of guns and ammo when intercepted by police in June 2022.
Promises from his legal team of a 'significant announcement'' that would explain his actions have never materialized.
His 30-month sentence — half behind bars, half on licence — also raised eyebrows, as his co-accused Robin Workman was handed a five-year tariff.
It is understood PSNI forensic tests on the weapons did not uncover any evidence that they had been previously used in terrorist activity.
