PITT PARK: UVF Ulster Volunteer Farce 'show of strength'!
UVF Chief: Pitt Park accused Stephen Matthews
. East Belfast UVF mural
Emma Little-Pengelly, representing Stephen Matthews, told the court that even if his alleged participation could be established, he did nothing unlawful.
22nd July, 2022.
Three men being prosecuted over an alleged loyalist show of strength in east Belfast have launched a legal bid to have the case thrown out.
Stephen Matthews, 59, his 36-year-old son David Matthews, and Derek Lammey, 57, face charges linked to a UVF 'show of strength' of nearly 40 masked loyalists at Pitt Park in February last year.
But defence lawyers claimed today there is insufficient evidence to return the trio for trial.
All three men appeared at Belfast Magistrates’ Court on charges of unlawful assembly, affray and intimidation in connection with the high-profile incident.
Prosecutors have contended that a group of men associated with the East Belfast UVF went into the area with their faces covered by scarves and hoods.
Disputed claims were made that up to 11 people living in the area fled their homes and sheltered for days in a nearby community centre.
Stephen Matthews, of Pansy Street in Belfast, David Matthews, from Millreagh in Dundonald, and Derek Lammey, of Spring Place in Belfast, allegedly played leadership roles in the gathering.
The case against them is based on CCTV footage, identifications made by police officers, and statements from civilian witnesses who are unwilling to testify.
The defendants deny being involved and are not accused of any paramilitary offences.
At a preliminary inquiry into the strength of the evidence, defence counsel described the charges as an attempt to “grasp at smoke”.
Joseph O’Keefe, for Lammey, said: “There’s a group of people who walk into an area, walk around it and walk out again.”
“There’s gesturing at a building and that’s it.”
He also stressed the incident occurred at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic.
“It’s not unusual for people to be wearing those facemasks in compliance with the guidance at that time,” the barrister added.
“My client carried out no violence or threat of violence, no attack on anybody, no shouting or threats, no weapons,” she submitted.
“He is seen simply, it is alleged, walking in a gathering. My client disputes that it is him identified.”
Counsel for David Matthews insisted the only evidence came from a police officer who claimed to recognise his partially covered face but who also accepted the identification could be wrong.
“The only option is to decline to return him for trial,” Michael Chambers contended.
However, prosecution lawyer Robin Steer countered that it had been an unlawful event aimed at intimidation.
“One knows in this jurisdiction when you have 39 men gathered in that way, obscuring their identity, what that relates to,” he told the court.
“It strongly supports the assumption made by the civilian witnesses that this was a paramilitary-related incident.”
Judgment was reserved in the defence applications to have the charges dismissed.
With many thanks to: Belfast Live and Alan Erwin for the original publication.
Follow these links to find out more on this story: UVF terror chiefs order arms dumps opened in preparation for Boris Protocol failure
No comments:
Post a Comment