Republican News · Thursday 10 October 2002

Death driver was in pay of Special Branch

The families of people killed by death drivers held a protest outside Belfast's Laganside Court on Monday 30 September.

During their protest, the families handed in an open letter to the Director of Public Prosecutions demanding a meeting with him to discuss the Department's sentencing policy in relation to death drivers.

In the letter, the families expressed their anger over the fact that the DPP prosecuted death driver Charlie Pollock for murder over the killing of RUC/PSNI member Norman Thompson while the thieves responsible for killing West Belfast teenager Debbie McComb are only being prosecuted for reckless driving and car theft.

Indeed, 19-year-old Henry Marley had a charge of causing Debbie McComb's death dropped by the DPP.

Meanwhile, it has been revealed that 27-year-old Pollock, who was found guilty on Tuesday 24 September of murdering Norman Thompson, was a high level Special Branch informer.

Pollock, who has a long history of car theft and death driving as well as a history of drug dealing, was issued with a panic button by his Special Branch handlers. Pollock was said to have supplied both Ecstasy tablets and cocaine and dealt with loyalist killer gangs, from whom he received his drugs.