Irish Republican News · December 17, 2003

Homes damaged in south Armagh raids by PSNI

The PSNI has been accused of `deliberately vandalising' homes in the South Armagh area over the past number of weeks. The latest raids came this morning when two homes were smashed into in the Belleek area.

Around 60 heavily armed and masked members of the PSNI smashed their way into the home of a local man. They then smashed their way into the man's father's home close by.

it mirrored recent raids in nearby Silverbridge a number of weeks ago, when heavily armed and masked gunmen mounted raids from helicopters.

Newry & Armagh Sinn Féin Representative Conor Murphy said recent events were ``no different to what people in South Armagh and elsewhere have witnessed for the last 30 years''.

``We are consistently being told by the PSNI Chief Hugh Orde, the SDLP and the PSNI allies in the media that we have achieved a new beginning to policing.

``Let us hear the SDLP apologists for this sort of behaviour speak up now. Let them travel to these homes and tell people that this is a new beginning to policing that we are experiencing.''

PSNI MAN CONVICTED

A member of the PSNI police in the North was convicted on Monday for driving a Landrover at high speed towards a group of nationalists on the Springfield Road during a protest against an Orange march being forced through the area.

Eye witness and video evidence showed that it was only through good fortune that nobody was killed as a result.

West Belfast Sinn Féin Representative Michael Ferguson has now demanded that the individual in question be sacked from his job.

``It is clear that this individual is not an appropriate person to be policing within the nationalist community,'' he said.

``I would now expect that he would be removed from his position within the PSNI.''

`SPY RING' ACCUSED CLEARED

* One of the four people charged in connection with the so-called `Stormontgate' affair was cleared today.

A bogus raid by the PSNI police on the Sinn Féin offices of the Belfast Assembly over an alleged IRA spy ring led to the collapse of the North's power-sharing Executive and the current political stalemate.

Fiona Farrelly, a 47-year-old caterer, was freed after the charges against her were withdrawn without explanation at the Magistrates Court.

The three other accused, who were due to be committed for trial today, had their cases adjourned until next month.

They are Denis Donaldson, Sinn Féin's head of administration at Stormont, his son-in-law Ciaran Kearney and William Mackessy, a former Stormont porter.

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