Thankfully the evacuation of Omagh Police Station last night was due to a hoax device. Sadly, even hoax devices can be used to create terror in the lives of our police and of our communities across Northern Ireland. I call on anyone with any information about those who plant hoax devices and real devices to contact the PSNI about this. It is essential that those responsible are brought before the courts for justice. The PSNI can be contacted on 0845 600 8000 for non-emergency reporting. In an emergency do phone 999. Originally published on Michael Carchrie Campbell Continue reading Help us all by telling PSNI about those who plant hoax devices
Today we hear from the courts in Londonderry that two men aged 29 and 30 have admitted charges in connection with cocaine. The judge has stated that it is ‘almost inevitable’ that a custodial sentence will be given. However sentence has already been passed and carried out by a grouping called Republican Action Against Drugs. In a civilised society there can be no place for such vigilanteism. We have the Police Service of Northern Ireland and the Courts Service to uphold the law. It is not the place of other criminals and thugs to go out and act as judge, … Continue reading War on Drugs, War on those who shoot dealers
Mr Justice Mostyn, educated at top Catholic school Ampleforth, hands down judgment that is considered homophobic by some.
In a recent case before Mr Justice Mostyn the Court of Protection held in The Law Courts in Newcastle, a disabled man, aged 41 years (hereinafter referred to as ‘Alan’ in line with the judgment) has been barred from having sex with another man until he has a better grasp of the health implications of his act.
In the meantime, he will be closely supervised by the local council to ensure his sexual activity is restricted to masturbation in his bedroom or bathroom – and nothing more.
Some of us are very lucky, at worst we may get abuse shouted at us in the street. But in Uganda, you can end up dead as a result of fighting for your human rights. David Kato, Uganadan gay activist and ‘grandfather of the kuchus‘ (as gay people in Uganda call themselves) led the campaign for gay rights in Uganda for more than ten years. For his beliefs he was gaoled. Only three weeks ago he won a case against a newspaper that called for him to be hanged. On Wednesday he appears to have been murdered for his beliefs: … Continue reading ‘When you plant a seed, before it dies it won’t produce’ – prophetic words from David Kato
Not got somewhere to stay after your bust up in the club after you chatted that girl up – the one who’s boyfriend was the DJ? During the fisticuffs the constabulary arrive and take you off the hands of the club owner. Fear not, you will not be without somewhere to stay. You will be able to stay in an hostelry which is open 24 / 7, 365 days a year. disinfected on a regular basis and is subject to regular inspections. Select meals provided Some cells en-suite All major credit cards and belongings confiscated Telephone (one call per guest) … Continue reading Out for a night with mates and it’s all gone a bit wrong?
With the decision reached in the European Court of Human Rights in the A, B, and C case of three Irish women who challenged the constitutional protection for children before birth, there is a grave danger that the Houses of the Oireachtas will feel that they must change the law in Éire. John Smeaton of the Society for Protection of Unborn Children (SPUC) says that this would be wrong, and he is urging the people of Ireland to resist pressure from the ECHR to change.
The court rejected the legal arguments of the first two women, but said that the third woman’s right to a private life under article 8 of the European Convention had been violated by a failure of the Irish state to make her rights regarding abortion* accessible to her. The court claimed that the Irish Constitution gives women a right to abortion under the Constitution Continue reading “Ireland urged to resist warped court decision on abortion”
In Northern Ireland the price of housing one prisoner for one year is £95,000, according to a recent report*: the similar rate in England & Wales is on average £45,000.
The Cost Per Prisoner Place (costs relative to the number of available places for prisoners) is high – at £77,831 – significantly in excess of the comparable position in England and Wales (£45,000) and Scotland (£41,724). The current occupancy level across the three Northern Ireland prisons was 82% compared with 106% in Scotland and 113% in England and Wales. Given the occupancy level of 82% the actual cost per prisoner is significantly higher at £94,804.§
As the report states there are reasons why it should be much more here,
… much of the prison estate is inadequate and according to a number of inspection reports, is not fit-for-purpose. The high security focus of Maghaberry Prison for example – Northern Ireland’s committal prison – means that a wide range of prisoners (remand, fine defaulters, short sentence, life sentence prisoners) are held in maximum security conditions. The decision to separate paramilitary prisoners incurs additional costs. Furthermore, the small scale of the Prison Service and its estate in Northern Ireland means that it does not benefit from economies of scale enjoyed by larger organisations. In addition, the ratio of staff to prisoners in Northern Ireland is almost two and a half times that of England and Wales and prison officers here are paid on average a third more.†
David Ford MLA, Northern Ireland's Minister for Justice
Nothing is more destructive of respect for the government and the law of the land than passing laws which cannot be enforced. It is an open secret that the dangerous increase of crime in this country is closely connected with this. Albert Einstein (on US Prohibition) Prohibition in the US Prohibition has been tried before, and for many reasons it was judged not to have worked. A resolution calling for an amendment to accomplish nationwide [in the US] Prohibition was introduced in Congress and passed by both houses in December 1917. By January 16, 1919, the Amendment had been ratified … Continue reading prohibition is hurting the world – let’s bring some radical thinking to bear
When will some people learn that if someone is gay, one does not instantly find everyone of one’s own gender attractive. There is one politician who is using the security pat-downs in use in America as a rod to beat those citizens who happen to be lesbian, gay, or bisexual. Eugene Delgaudio, a Republican representing Sterling on the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors, appears to think that if members of the Transportation Security Administration are gay and are carrying out pat-downs – which are part of their job – they derive some sort of sexual pleasure from this. In his … Continue reading if gays ask questions it is sexual perversion: if straights do it, it isn’t?
With the decision reached in the 
Gyronny Herald 