Gerry Adams - IRA Leader

Gerry Adams an IRA leader



Some will know the name Gerry Adams some will not. In Ireland Gerry Adams is widely viewed as the face of the republican movement. Gerry Adams is the President of Sinn Fein which is the political wing of the republican movement. The IRA is the now ‘decommissioned’ military wing of the republican movement. Gerry Adams has for some strange reason always publicly stated that he was never a member of the IRA. For those of us who were members of the republican movement it is well known that Gerry Adams was a senior member of the IRA in Belfast and that he had a seat at the table of the IRA Army Council. Indeed I can put my hand on my heart and say that in 1984 I was present when Gerry Adams arrived at a venue for a meeting of some of the most senior members of the IRA. I was not a senior member of the IRA but was simply present before the meeting started. Gerry Adams and Brendan ‘Darkie’ Hughes did not leave when the meeting started. I will set out here the reality of Gerry Adams janus-face position in the republican movement.



So it was that the British Army were brought into the north as ‘peace-keepers’. The British army were initially feed and given tea by many grateful Catholics who had suffered so much at the hands of loyalist mobs. Indeed the IRA leadership had initially put in place a no shoot policy in relation to the British Army, this policy was put in place as the British Army were so welcomed initially, however, the IRA had no such policy in relation to Protestants and they continued to murder Protestants at will. Yet as the British army were used to break up no-go areas and were the main body tasked with the Internment of Irish Catholics their role as ‘peace-keeper’ would wear thin quickly. There is no doubt that Internment, the breaking up of no-go areas and the IRA’s own mishaps were insuring that the IRA could not operate at full capacity. It was inability to operate at full capacity that foolishly lead the British and Irish Governments to believe that the IRA could be defeated as the ordinary people turned away from the men of violence. The ordinary people could be bought off with reforms in Stormont and the IRA defeated by isolation and imprisonment, thought the Governments.



The Irish Government under Jack Lynch who had just recovered from the controversy surrounding the supplying of guns to the IRA appeared ready and willing to take on rather than tolerate the IRA. Lynch had been backed into a corner as loyalist terrorists had already moved into the Irish Republic in 1972 and fire bombed hotels in Dublin and the loyalists said they would carry out further attacks if the Irish Government did not stand up to the IRA. The loyalists did return and murder dozens of innocent civilians in Monaghan and Dublin.



At the Sinn Fein Ard Fheis in 1972, the PIRA Chief of Staff, Mac Stiofain was not offering Lynch any hope of compromise when he said there would be no compromise with the British; it was all or nothing, “Brits Out”. Lynch decided it was time to put the Provisionals out of business and he had Mac Stiofain arrested and imprisoned.



In 1973, when Seamus Twomey was arrested Gerry Adams took over as commanding officer of the IRA in Belfast. The Adams leadership was well able to match the body count which occurred under Twomey in 1972 which read, 81 innocent Catholics and 41 innocent Protestants mainly murdered in no warning IRA bomb attacks. In his new book Ed Moloney gives a clear insight into the role played by Adams when Moloney reproduces an interview that he carried out with Brendan ‘Darkie’ Hughes before Brendan died in 2009. Brendan Hughes who was a close friend and comrade of Gerry Adams alleges that Adams was the person who ordered the murder of innocent Mother of ten, Jean Mc Conville, amazon.co.uk/Voices-grave-two-mens-ireland. The sectarian bloodbath was overflowing and the British and Irish Governments were at a loss as to what the next step should be. The sectarian drive of the PIRA and indeed Gerry Adams is best captured by Adams himself in his book A Pathway to Peace http://www.brandonbooks.com/authors.php?authors_id=1



Of all the differences between the Ireland of Tone’s time and the Ireland of today, unquestionably one of the most noticeable – although far from being the most significant – is the changed political attitudes of the mass of Protestants, especially in the North. Instead of forming a cordial union with their fellow Irishmen to run their own country for themselves in their own interests, they find themselves the prisoners of a fossilised, politico-religious sectarianism which is entrenched and institutionalised as an integral part of the imperial administrative system in the six counties[1]





Adams fails to see in his own words the very sectarianism of his own politics in the fact that the deaths of over three thousand mainly innocent people in forty years of republican death and destruction have driven an insurmountable wedge between Protestants and Catholics. Few families in the north’s population of 1.5 million have been left unscathed by both loyalist and republican violence, the deaths of over three thousand, the maiming of tens of thousands, the imprisonment of tens of thousands have left the Protestant community more fundamentally opposed to Irish Unity than the British State could have achieved in another eight hundred years of Imperial rule. Interesting though is that fact that Adams himself would eventually become part of what he described as:



An integral part of the imperial administrative system in the six counties.



While Adams and other members of the republican movement continue to try and attach their brand of republicanism with that of Wolfe Tone there is no link, there is no attachment. Wolfe Tone represented the aspirations of a united Irish people both Protestant and Catholic fighting for a French style Republic free of British Imperialism, modern day militant republicanism does not fall within the shadow of Wolfe Tone’s republic. Adams continues to refer to Wolfe Tone and others as the starters of the unfinished business, as if the work of Wolfe Tone is to be found in the sectarian politics of 20th/21st century Sinn Fein/IRA. In the Sinn Fein document The Evolution of Sinn Fein (1995) this desired linkage to Wolfe Tone and others is made six times, this would not be so noticeable if this were not a one page document.



This attempt by the Adams to claim linage to the old IRA is clearly seen in the re-write of the IRA’s Green Book in 1977. In the 1956 edition of the IRA’s Green Book the authors do not engage in any legitimisation of the armed struggle beyond its historical context of resistance to occupation. The 1977 edition which was written by Gerry Adams and other leading republicans claims direct legitimacy from the members of the second Dail, who transferred their authority to the IRA in 1938 after the takeover of the IRA Army Council by Sean Russell. Antony Mc Antyre a former republican prisoner, now an academic and scholar says that:



The modern republican movement has persistently been the product of BritishState strategies rather than a body which has existed for the sole purpose of completing the unfinished business of uniting Ireland.[2]





Contrary to what Imperialist type motives republicans attribute to the BritishState, it remains in Ireland in response to the Protestant/Unionist demands to remain British. This is a correct analysis and one that was supported in my own research as republicans admit to having recognised that Protestants were the real obstacle to a united Ireland as early as the 1970s. Tugwell states that;



That campaign (IRA violence) would use the international, domestic and economic side effects of armed struggle on the British Government and ‘Public’ to cause the necessary shift from the British state viewing the North of Ireland as an asset to a liability.





Following forty years of sectarian violence resulting in over three thousand deaths, the majority of whom were Northern Irish, the public can now be more clearly defined as being physically and psychologically the British Protestant people of Northern Ireland and psychologically and economically the British people of England, Scotland and Wales. All of whom would eventually see the benefits of a united Ireland unless the sectarian bankruptcy of the republican movement was first realised.



Up until September 1973 an IRA bombing campaign had lasted several months with death and mutilation becoming part of the daily routine for the people of Belfast and Derry. Lynch’s Government had taken a tough line against the men of violence and had initiated a sustained program of anti-terrorist legislation as extreme and as tough as the British response to the men of violence. 1974 began with the Provisionals planting bombs all over the north and in Birmingham (England). The PIRA’s New Year message was;



We look forward with confidence to 1974 as a year which the British rule in Ireland shall be destroyed and the curse of alien power banished from our land for all time.





On the 28th of June the new Northern Ireland elections had returned Twenty-three Official Unionist candidates, twenty-seven loyalist candidates, nineteen SDLP (Catholic), eight Alliance (cross-community) and DUP (loyalist). On Tuesday the 14th of May 1974 at six o’clock in the evening, the Assembly voted forty-four to twenty-eight in favour of Faulkner’s amendment supporting the Sunningdale agreement for reform. The Ulster Workers Council (Protestant/loyalist) announced a province wide strike. The north came to a stand still as Protestants held key positions in all of the utility control centres in the north including electricity and water. Loyalists sent death squads back into the Republic of Ireland once again and on the 17th of May 1974 they exploded bombs in Dublin and Monaghan killing dozens of innocent civilians and injuring hundreds more.



The British Government under Labour Prime Minister, Harold Wilson were not prepared to break the loyalist strike. Intimidation, food shortages, water shortages and electrical shortages continued, Wilson’s inaction had simply made matters worse. Wilson defending the new Northern Ireland Assembly called the loyalists, “Spongers on the British public”. The strength of the loyalist strike proved too much for the constitutional politicians and when Faulkner asked Secretary of State, Rees to talk with the UWC and Rees refused Faulkner and his loyalist colleagues resigned and Sunningdale fell.



Meanwhile the republican movement was again at war within its own ranks. In 1974 the Official IRA lead by Goulding called the PIRA “Fascists” as more splits began to unfold. Republican uncertainty manifested itself into yet another split; on the 8th of December 1974 Seamus Costello and other uncompromising Official IRA members created the IRSP (INLA) yet another republican splinter group. In 1975 members of the INLA killed a number of their former Official IRA comrades. The INLA while small in number would prove to be a ruthless sectarian killing machine, only out done in number and deed by the PIRA.



In 1974 the Official IRA dropped abstentionism to Westminster and the Northern Ireland convention and were now out of the business of violence, at least on any political level. From the 22nd of December 1974 until the 2nd of January 1975 the PIRA called a cease-fire as they were told that if they showed good will talks with the British could take place. Merlyn Rees, the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland said on the 20th of December, no specific undertakings had been given. The IRA extended the cease-fire for two weeks, this writer remembers that cease-fire well, but that hope was not to last. Rees refused to talk directly to the IRA and on the 16th of January the IRA returned to violence, having used the cease-fire to get organised and rearmed.



On the 9th of February 1975 the IRA Army Council announced an indefinite cease-fire following discussions with British officials. Loyalists however continued to kill innocent Catholics and the INLA and Official IRA continued to kill each other. The British Government would not or could not give a declaration of intent to withdraw from Northern Ireland and the PIRA continued to use the threat of violence. The loyalists believed that the IRA cease-fire was simply a ploy by the PIRA to get regrouped and rearmed and that a return to full scale violence was only a matter of time. The PIRA wanted the British Government to become persuaders of the Protestant people of Northern Ireland of the benefits of a united Ireland; this was not going to happen in the short term.



The first four chapters of this book have focused on the regression of the republican movement who were constantly falling back into a politico-sectarian blindness coupled by internal feud and disagreement. Their central focus to this point has been the physical and psychological brutality of the Protestant people of Northern Ireland in order to coerce them into a united Ireland. Loyalists are not faultless; however, a clear distinction must be made between ordinary decent hard working Protestants and the small number of criminals who made up the loyalist murder squads.

Crime in America - FBI

FBI’s Top Ten News Stories for the Week Ending July 30, 2010




Los Angeles: Goleta Man Indicted in Connection with Murder-for-Hire Plot Targeting Bel Air Resident and Others



A Goleta resident, Eugene Temkin, was charged and arrested at his residence without incident. At that time, a criminal complaint was filed outlining the scheme by Temkin to hire a third party to murder his former business partner, the man’s wife and the man’s business partner. Full Story



Charlotte: MS-13 Gang Member Sentenced to Death After Conviction on Racketeering Charges Related to Double Murders



Alejandro Umana was sentenced to the death penalty on murder charges for the deaths of Ruben and Manuel Salinas. He is the first MS-13 member in the country to receive the death penalty. Full Story



Honolulu: Founding Member of Abu Sayyaf Group Pleads Guilty to 1995 Hostage Taking Involving U.S. and Philippine Citizens



Madhatta Haipe, a citizen of the Philippines and founding member of Al-Harakat Al-Islamiyyah, also known as the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG), pled guilty to four counts of hostage taking in connection with the 1995 abduction of 16 people, including four U.S. citizens, in the Philippines. Full Story



FBI Headquarters: FBI, Slovenian and Spanish Police Arrests Mariposa Botnet Creator, Operators



The FBI, in partnership with the Slovenian Criminal Police and the Spanish Guardia Civil, announced significant developments in a two-year investigation of the creator and operators of the Mariposa Botnet. Full Story



Birmingham: Former Jefferson County Commissioner Gary White Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison



Former Jefferson County Commissioner Gary White was sentenced to 10 years in prison on 2008 convictions for accepting bribes from a sewer contractor whose company had about $50 million in contracts with the county. Full Story



Washington Field: Drug Kingpin Sentenced to Life Imprisonment Co-Conspirator Sentenced to 10 Years



Lonnell Glover was sentenced to life in prison for his role as leader of a Phencyclidine (PCP) and heroin distribution organization in the District of Columbia and Maryland. He is also required to forfeit $1,050,000 as proceeds from his drug conspiracy. Full Story



Sacramento: Sacramento Man Ordered to Pay Victims and Government Responders for Costs Related to Anthrax Hoax



Marc M. Keyser was ordered to pay nearly $7,000 in costs that various victims and government agencies incurred in response to Keyser’s fake anthrax mailings in October 2008. He was sentenced to prison in April, but deferred determination of the amount of restitution to be paid back. Full Story



Houston: Former Manager of Local Medical Group Sentenced to Prison for Tax Evasion



A former office manager for a local medical group was sentenced to 24 months in prison, followed by a three year term of supervised release for tax evasion. The individual failed to pay taxes on approximately $1 million embezzled from the employer, and ordered to pay $297,855 in back taxes. Full Story



New York: Former Fugitive in Multi-Million-Dollar New Square Fraud Scheme Sentenced in Manhattan Federal Court to 27 Months in Prison



Avrum Friesel was sentenced to 27 months in prison for his participation in a long-running scheme to defraud millions of dollars from a number of federal and state programs. Friesel fled from the United States in 1997, was arrested in 2008 and extradited to the United States in August 2009, over 12 years after he was initially charged. Full Story



Seattle: Entertainment Club Corporations and Associates Sentenced for RICO Conspiracy and Prostitution Related Charges



Three associates and co-owners of the Colacurcio strip clubs were sentenced for conspiracy to commit RICO – Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations. The men, and the corporations they formed, are forfeiting more than $7.5 million in property. The clubs closed in May 2010. Full Story

CIRA

CIRA planning series of armed raids in the Irish Republic and Northern Ireland


By theirishobserver.blogspot.com

When Continuity IRA was formed following the Ruari O’Bradaigh lead split from the Provisional IRA in 1986, Continuity IRA and their political mouth-piece Republican Sinn Fein were nothing more than old men with tired old ideas. While O’Bradaigh alleged the split was over the principle of abstention the reality was that the split was over egos and personality differences, since the split with the PIRA, Continuity IRA have been an ineffective splinter grouping and Republican Sinn Fein have made little progress with only a couple of RSF local authority councillors elected to over see bin collection and street cleaning services. Since the formation of the Real IRA by Michael Mc Kevitt, Liam Campbell and other disgruntled PIRA members, CIRA have collaborated with the Real IRA in order to carry out atrocities such as the Omagh Bomb.

Now however, I am reliably informed, that the Continuity IRA membership in the north, which has now been strengthened by former members of the PIRA and INLA, has taken control of the Continuity IRA. This coup-de-tat would have met with little resistance from the southern leadership, many of whom are now pensioners, in Portlaoise Prison or so engrossed with and benefiting from crime in Limerick, Dublin and Cork they have little time for concepts such as a united Ireland.

CIRA remains a toothless tiger; the real threat from this new northern command is its cooperation with the RIRA who are continuing to build on their engineering and weapons capacity. The Real IRA through their contacts with criminal gangs in the Irish Republic have been able to access weapons mainly from Eastern Europe that are brought in with drugs and illegal cigarette shipments for the criminal gangs including the ‘dissidents’. CIRA have effectively gone native with the Dundon/Mc Carthy drug dealers in Limerick and the same could be said for many of their members in Dublin and Cork. The new northern command which is following the same path as Adams and Mc Guinness in terms of reducing the organisation and basing its leadership in the north, are in dire need of funds. While they have access to small weapons that they have obtained through their criminal links, they have no real fire power and as a stand alone organisation pose a small threat.

Many of those now on the new northern lead command are former members of the PIRA and some are related by blood to senior members of Sinn Fein. CIRA will use vulnerable children to fill their ranks and indeed they have already blooded a couple of youngsters by bringing them on mutilation attacks within the Catholic ghettos of Belfast and Derry, as have the RIRA. Some of the new northern leadership have educated themselves while serving lengthy prison sentences for PIRA activity and more recently some have served sentences for ‘dissident’ activity. The CIRA are disgruntled and dissatisfied with Sinn Fein/IRA, however, they are not a serious threat to the ‘peace process’. While the CIRA murdered Constable Stephen Carroll last year they have no capacity to sustain any kind of stand alone campaign, they must work with and engage with the RIRA who have grown in strength in recent times due to the influx of PIRA and INLA members to their ranks.

Many within CIRA have profited from the conflict in terms of making money from smuggling and other forms of criminality, however, they will continue to hang a flag around their neck to try and give legitimacy to their criminality. The old guard of the CIRA/Republican Sinn Fein have totally disregarded the new northern leadership and those within the ranks of the old guard suggest in whispered tones that the newly declared northern leadership is riddled with security agents who like the PIRA leadership are simply trying to take the organisation north in order to surrender it. We have to wait and see how many of the CIRA who originally broke away with O’Bradaigh in 1986 will offer allegiance to the new northern leadership, it is expected that north Louth and Donegal will continue to offer support to the northern faction, however, this is an opportunity for those members of CIRA working alongside criminal gangs in our major cities to simply focus on filling their personal coffers.

The newly styled northern leadership wants to make its mark, and that mark will not be made by selling smuggled cigarettes at three pound a packet in the Ardoyne, Armagh City or the Bogside, and so the CIRA intend to raise much needed funds by carrying out cash in transit and other high risk-high reward robberies both in the north and the Republic. If such robberies are successful the money will be used to buy weapons from eastern European sources, through sources already established through criminal gangs in the Republic. The problem with this dependence on criminal fraternity is that it will be a road riddled with touts, informers, agents and profiteers, all of which will lead to the eventual vaporisation of the ‘dissident’ threat. The seven man Army Council of the CIRA is now made up of five members from the north and two from the Republic, this is a flip of the Council under the old leadership. It is estimated that CIRA has about 200 members; however, as stated above the majority of these, particularly in the Republic are engaged in criminal activity and are easily monitored.

After much internal wrangling under the old guard, particularly in relation to the use of CIRA funds for personal use, the newly formed northern leadership met in the holiday resort of Bettystown in County Meath in the Irish Republic, in June of this year, and held an extraordinary army convention. At this meeting a 12 member ruling executive was elected and this elected body appointed the new seven man Army Council. Those present at the Convention in Bettystown were able to claim to represent the majority of volunteers and therefore they had the Constitutional authority to do business. This however is simply following in the foot-steps of Mc Guinness and Adams who wrestled control of the Sinn Fein/IRA leadership from O’Bradaigh in 1986 by way of a recruitment drive in the run up to the 1986 Ard Fheis, many Cumman that voted at that Ard Fheis existed on paper only. This CIRA convention in Bettystown was heavily represented by northerners who had recruited significant numbers of what can only be described as children in Belfast and Derry.

The new northern leadership of the CIRA have already set in motion plans for fund raising, while smuggling and other forms of less profitable criminality will continue to be part and parcel of their funding regime, they are now to focus resources on getting their hands on serious money, this type of money can only come from cash in transit and other such high risk - high reward robberies. For now the CIRA will continue to be the tail wagged by the RIRA dog.

FN: Read my 12 Chapter e-Book on the history of militant republicanism absolutely free at:

 irishrepublicanarmy-ira.blogspot.com

Public Accounts

More than 50 Documents on Bank Guarantee Scheme Not Released to Public Accounts Committee






30th July 2010



The Dail Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has published a schedule of the key documents relating to the bank guarantee scheme which were not provided to it by the Department of Finance.



The PAC had previously received and published documentation on the planning that went on in the Department of Finance leading up to the implementation of the bank guarantee scheme on 29th September 2008.



However, the Committee was not provided with a large number of relevant documents as they were deemed not appropriate for release. The Committee was told that this was mainly because these documents were “subject to legal privilege” or were “institution specific.”



A list of the unrealised documents is now available at: http://www.oireachtas.ie/viewdoc.asp?fn=/documents/Committees30thDail/PAC/Homepage.htm



Committee Chairman, Bernard Allen TD said;

“The Committee was somewhat disappointed that we did not receive the full schedule of documents regarding the bank guarantee scheme. In order for the Committee to establish if the taxpayer has received value for money we are keen to have access to all the relevant information.



We accept that there are certain documents containing advice from the Attorney General which are subject to legal privilege. However, I believe that copies of the letters containng the questions which prompted the advice from the Attorney General should be made freely available to the Committee.

This is why we have asked the Secretary General of the Department of Finance to look through each of these privileged documents with a view to the Committee being given copies of the letters to the Attorney General which resulted in this advice.



We hope to receive this detail at an early stage, so that any insights gained from it can contribute to the Committee’s continuing analysis of this crucial matter.”



The Committee has also published details requested from the Department on the Domestic Standing Group on Financial Stability.

Larry Murphy, Paddy 'lo lo' O Driscol, Patrick Moorehouse

Larry Murphy Free in 12 Days

In 12 Days Larry Murphy will be released from Prison, this article is not written in order to single out Larry Murphy, but rather to highlight the failings in the Criminal Justice System, failings put in place by weak and self serving politicians such as John O'Donoghue TD. Larry Murphy will strike again of that I have absolutely no doubt, Larry has had a lot of thinking time and this time there will be no stumbling and fumbling, the pure frustration of getting caught the last time will ensure that Larry will this time leave his name etched in the history books. Will any of the self serving politicians who have spent fortunes of tax payers money on their lavish life styles, yet have failed to provide a small portion of that sum to ensure rehabilitative care for those like Larry Murphy who could have been stopped, take responsibility when Larry strikes again, the simple answer is No, they wont.



There has been much speculation in sections of the Irish media recently that suggests that when suspected serial killer Larry Murphy is released from jail (11th August 2010) having served 15 years for the rape and attempted murder of a young women he will be obliged to tell the Gardai (Irish Police) where he is living at all times. There is also speculation that the nation's women need not be concerned about Murphy's release as he will be under constant Garda supervision and surveillance. Many Irish Serial killers such as those facilitated within the 'republican' movement were under 24/7 surveillance yet they were able to murder at will.


However, Larry Murphy will not be required to give his details to Gardai and he most certainly won’t be under 24/7 surveillance by a team of up to 12 detectives, as suggested by some ill-informed sources.

Background: Larry Murphy is a carpenter by trade and by all accounts very good at his trade even while in prison where he under took further courses and classes in carpentry. Before being caught trying to suffocate a young woman with a plastic bag in the Wicklow Mountains in 2000 Larry Murphy appeared to all who knew him as a happily married man with a young family. However, Larry Murphy's double life was exposed in 2000 when he was witnessed by two huntsmen in the Wicklow Mountains as he tried to suffocate a young business woman from Carlow whom he had just kidnapped and repeatedly raped.


Murphy was duly arrested by Gardai and remanded to Cloverhill Prison to await his trial. While in Cloverhill Remand Prison in Clondalkin in Dublin Larry Murphy quickly made friends in the prisons E-Wing which is a protection wing for those people who do not wish to be in the general prison population due to concerns for their own safety, although Murphy would just as easily fitted in with the general population as so many of them view the rape of women as a normal part of their criminal and drug infested culture. As Larry Murphy walked around the small yard of Cloverhill's E-Wing with fellow sex offenders he had few words, although when pushed he would say that his only regret was that he had been caught. He was able to swap stories with Noel Cawley who had been charged with the unlawful imprisonment and rape of a young woman (Noel Cawley is now serving a sentence for the manslaughter of an old age pensioner in Westmeath last year) and so on.

Eventually Larry Murphy was sentenced to 15 years for the kidnap, repeated rape and attempted murder of the young business woman he had taken into the Wicklow Mountains. People who knew Larry Murphy including a close friend who was at that time a serving prison officer were shocked and stunned by the details of Larry Murphy's double life. Murphy had fooled many and had it not been for the two huntsmen on the night of his capture, Larry Murphy's reign would have continued. Since Larry Murphy was convicted in 2000 he has been questioned on a number of occasions about the disappearance of a number of young women in the Leinster area on various dates in the 1993 to 1998 periods. It is said that Larry Murphy has refused to co-operate with Gardai in relation to their investigations into the disappearance of these women.



This writer has no idea whether Larry Murphy did or did not have anything to do with these disappearances of young women, yet this writer does know that when Larry Murphy is released he will be able to roam free without legal obligation.



Why Larry Murphy will be able to roam free?


In 2001, the Sex Offenders Act was introduced; this Act had been in the pipe line for a number of years as Ireland tried to deal with the ever evolving extent of sexual crime in Ireland. As we now know this Act was delayed and then diminished in order to facilitate those within the Catholic Church who had raped children. It is clear now from both the Ryan and Murphy Reports that there was serious collusion at the highest levels in Ireland to protect religious child rapists. Indeed following the revelations about Father Brendan Smyth in the early 1990s the Government of the day moved quickly to reduce the sentence for sexual assault from 10 years to 5 years, this sentence was increased in the Sex Offenders Act 2001, after many ‘religious’ rapists had been given what appeared to be soft/token sentences.


When the 2001 Act was introduced by the then Minister for Justice, John O Donoghue TD, it was heralded by many ill-informed groups and individuals as a major step forward in the fight against sexual crime, in fact following the introduction of the 2001 Act sexual crime has continued to increase in every facet of its existence. While John O Donoghue had been warned by the Attorney Generals office not to introduce the 2001 Act in its form at that time, O Donoghue dancing to the tune of his cheer leaders (lurid tabloids) introduced the Sex Offenders Act 2001. Under the terms of the 2001 Act a person in jail at the time of its enactment or later convicted would be under an obligation to notify the Gardai within seven days of their release from prison the address at which they intend to live.


However, the Act also makes it legal to tell the Gardai that you live at NO FIXED ABODE, many sex offenders released since 2001 have used this loophole and some like Patrick (Paddy) O Driscol was able to roam freely among the people of Cork until he eventually struck again and smashed a young woman's head in with a brick before raping her for over an hour. On the night in question Paddy O Driscol was in the company of another convicted rapist (who had no part in this latest rape) Patrick Moorehouse (O Driscol and Moorehouse had meet while serving sentences for rape in Wheatfield Prison). Paddy O Driscol is now serving 18 years for his latest rape. This ‘no fixed abode’ clause runs contrary to international standards of good practice when managing high risk offenders. In Northern Ireland for example, such offenders must take up a place in a half way house upon their release from prison if they have no permanent address of their own.



Upon Release Larry Murphy will be able to tell Gardai that he has no fixed abode and he will be able to roam the country as he feels fit. The Gardai have neither the man power nor the financial resource to follow Larry Murphy indefinitely, however, it is the introduction of an ill-considered 2001 Sex Offenders Act that will let Larry Murphy of the leash.


Notes of Importance: There are presently 1,100 persons on the sex offenders register in Ireland including both men and women, up to 15% of these persons have given no fixed abode as their address, others have left the country (Patrick Barr, Patrick O Riordan), it is further clear from the Ryan and Murphy reports and the recent scandal surrounding the family of Sinn Fein President, Gerry Adams that there are many thousands of sex offenders in Ireland who have never and will probably never see the inside of a court house. The reasons why so many known and confirmed sex offenders are not prosecuted are complex, however, the lack of political will and the introduction of ill-considered legislation are two of the main contributory factors in this regard.


Many Government Ministers spend much of their time trying to please the lurid tabloids, a tabloid industry that makes its bread and butter from exploiting men, women and children through their advertised perverted sex chat lines and sexual imagery. These same tabloids help normalise and facilitate sexual deviance and this is why they are the biggest selling media in the sex offender’s wings of Ireland’s Prisons. The reality is of course that the vast majority of people who read the tabloids don’t even vote, yet due to the contrived ‘moral panics’ created by the lurid tabloids weak Government Minister’s feel the need to go on bended knee to their banner headlines. We then have the perverse situation where the lurid tabloids are in effect dictating social policy, while the voting public are left to pick up the pieces.


In 2005, the Editor, Ger Colleran, of The Irish Star (tabloid) paid 400 Euro to a sex offender who had just been released from prison. The released sex offender had asked a friend to take some pictures of him as he walked in O Connell Street, the released sex offender then sold his own pictures to the Star for 400 Euro, and the following day the Star published the pictures stating that their photographer had taken the pics. What Colleran did not know was that when the Star was handing over the money for the pics, the released sex offender had someone taking pics of the transaction. Yet Colleran and other similar hypocrites are given regular platforms on RTE and other media as a man set upon high moral ground.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=395N1qf7K9Q


The lyrics and music for this song were written by The Irish Observer and this song is performed by The Irish Observer.

FBI

It’s hard to imagine now, but in the early part of the last century there was very little formal training for law enforcement officers around the country. In some smaller cities, police departments simply issued new officers a badge and gun and told them to get to work.



So when criminals started getting smarter, more organized, and better armed in the 1920s and early 1930s—as represented by such cunning characters as Al Capone, John Dillinger, and Alvin Karpis—law enforcement nationwide was hardly prepared to deal with them.



The FBI—which had launched its own formal training for special agents in the late 1920s—realized it could help. At a national crime conference in December 1934, Director J. Edgar Hoover joined with Attorney General Homer Cummings in announcing plans for a national school of instruction for law enforcement. That call was widely acclaimed, and the International Association of Chiefs of Police quickly endorsed the concept and lent its support.



The following June, Bureau executive Hugh Clegg traveled up and down the East Coast and as far west as Chicago, seeking out criminologists, law professors, and other experts to participate in the training program. Although the FBI intended to tap into experienced agents for its core set of instructors, Clegg succeeded in recruiting lecturers from Harvard, Yale, the City College of New York, Vanderbilt, Columbia, Northwestern, Johns Hopkins, Georgetown, and the University of Cincinnati to talk on various topics. Also enlisted were senior state and local police and executives.



Plans were soon complete, and on Monday morning, July 29, 1935—75 years ago today—the FBI launched its first Police Training School. The attorney general called it “the most comprehensive and intensive training ever afforded local law enforcement officers in the United States.”



Within a few years, we had changed the name to the FBI National Academy. Today, more than 43,000 graduates later (including over 3,000 from beyond our borders), the National Academy is an institution widely respected in law enforcement circles around the world,


“... the most comprehensive and intensive training ever afforded local law enforcement officers in the United States."
Homer Cummings

U.S. Attorney General



evolving into what some have called “The West Point of Law Enforcement.” These students have carried their knowledge and experiences back to their cities and towns, sharing it with their colleagues and the people they serve, further multiplying the impact of the National Academy.

Murder - body of Charlie Armstrong discovered

Disappeared - those murdered and secretly buried by Sinn Fein/IRA criminals.


The body of a man has been discovered in Co Monaghan. The body is believed to be that of an innocent man, Charlie Armstrong, who was murdered by the Provisional IRA and secretly buried in Monaghan in the 1980s.



A project team with the Independent Commission for the Location of Victims' Remains discovered the man's body earlier today.



The partial remains have yet to be formally identified, but they are believed to be that of Charlie Armstrong who went missing from the Crossmaglen area of Co Armagh in the early 1980s.



Gardai and the Minister for Justice have been informed of the find, and efforts are now underway to firmly establish the identity of the man so that his family can be informed.



The Independent Commission began a process Charlie Armstrong’s family watched unfold before them over the past few months. For several months the team of experts concentrated on an area of bog and gorse at Inniskeen, just a couple of miles from the family home. The commission was prompted to act by an anonymous map, sent to the family, which claimed he’d been buried there.



It was the second map the family had received. The first showed a slightly different location. It’s the fact that both maps highlight the same area that gives the Armstrong’s hope that they’ve been directed to the right place. All they need now is help to pinpoint the exact location.



Bodies found in bog:

The area where it’s believed Charlie Armstrong’s body is hidden had been used for that very purpose before. In 1999, the remains of two of the Disappeared, John McClory and Brian McKinney were found in a bog across the road from the site searched for Mr Armstrong.



Charlie Armstrong disappeared in 1981. A man who sometimes taxied for neighbours, he was on his way to pick up a lady for Mass when he went missing. Many believe he stumbled into an IRA operation and that his killing was neither sanctioned nor intentional. His family think he may have been killed by accident when he tried to stop his car being hijacked by armed men.



The death of a well-known and popular man would have caused major embarrassment for the republican movement in an area where it enjoyed substantial local support. It’s perhaps for that reason that the death was covered up and responsibility for it – even to this day - has never been acknowledged.



It is not known how many men, women and children were kidnapped, murdered and secretly buried by Sinn Fein/IRA, however, it is known that the body of 17 year old school boy Columbia Mc Veigh who was murdered by the PIRA still remains undiscovered in north Monaghan.

Mayor hangs himself

A former mayor committed suicide after it was revealed he used a secret camera to spy on teenage girls as they showered, an inquest heard yesterday.


Paul Thomas, 55, resigned as mayor of the idyllic Worcestershire village of Upton-on-Severn following his arrest on suspicion of filming the youngsters in February.

The married father-of-three also quit his job as sales director for an industrial containers firm when the scandal broke in a local newspaper.



He had admitted setting up a camera in a bathroom to spy on teenage girls and was due to answer bail at Worcester Police Station in May.

But Thomas was found hanging from a tree on flood plains in Upton, next to the River Severn, on Sunday, April 18.

Yesterday, an inquest how the 55-year-old wrote notes detailing his plans to take his own life.

FBI

Flagler Man Pleads to Possession of Child Pornography


Wed, 28 Jul 2010 21:13:29 -0500



William Edward Blocker, 79, of Flagler Beach, pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography. Blocker faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison.







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Deer Creek Man Indicted for Possessing 3,000 Images of Child Pornography

Wed, 28 Jul 2010 21:06:37 -0500



The indictment, filed on July 20, 2010, charges Edward L. Andrist with one count of possession of child pornography.







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U.S. Attorney Announces Section 8 Housing Fraud Indictments in Portland

Wed, 28 Jul 2010 21:03:36 -0500



A federal grand jury has returned separate indictments charging Curtis James Cavitt, 37, of Newberg, Oregon, and David Lee and Crystal Foster, 41 and 33, respectively, of McMinnville, Oregon, with theft of government money by receiving Section 8 federal housing subsidies through fraud and deceit.







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District Man Sentenced to 27 Years for Violent Sexual Assault in 2006

Wed, 28 Jul 2010 20:44:47 -0500



Robert Carlton Young, 50, of the District of Columbia, was sentenced yesterday by the Honorable Herbert B. Dixon, Jr. to 27 years in prison for two counts of first degree sexual abuse, one count of kidnapping and one count of third degree sexual abuse.







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Manassas Teacher Charged with Child Pornography Offenses

Wed, 28 Jul 2010 20:44:46 -0500



Kevin Garfield Ricks, 50, of Federalsburg, Md., was charged in a criminal complaint today on charges of transporting and possessing child pornography.







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Investment Manager Pleads Guilty in to Multi-Million-Dollar Fraud

Wed, 28 Jul 2010 20:44:44 -0500



Paul Greenwood pled guilty to a six-count Indictment charging him with conspiracy, securities fraud, commodities fraud, wire fraud, and money laundering for running a fraudulent commodities trading and investment advisory scheme while a principal of WG Trading Company and WG Trading Investors.







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Former Contract Dispatcher Pleads Guilty to Accepting Kickbacks

Wed, 28 Jul 2010 20:44:43 -0500



Hulon Eugene parsons, a/k/a/ Gene Parsons, 60, of Hammond, Louisiana, a former employee of Boh Brothers Construction Company, Inc., pled guilty to illegally accepting kickbacks relating to a prime contract with the United States.







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Spokane Man Pleads Guilty for Threats to Reproductive Health Services Clinic

Wed, 28 Jul 2010 08:44:42 -0500



Donald Hertz, 70, of Spokane, Washington pleaded guilty today in federal court in Spokane to one count of violating the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act and one count of transmitting a threat in interstate commerce.







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Oregon Distributor of Child Pornography Sentenced to 15 Years in Prison

Wed, 28 Jul 2010 20:44:41 -0500



Dewey S. Burr, 51, of Hillsboro, Oregon, was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison, to be followed by a life-term of supervised release. As a condition of supervision, the defendant will have to register as a sex offender.

Teenager kidnapped and shot by Homophiles in west Belfast

An 18 year old boy has been kidnapped and shot twice by four mature men at La Salle Drive on the Falls Road shortly before 10pm last night. For decades Homophiles, Hetrophiles, Peadophiles and Rapists have used the 'republican' movement to abuse men, women and children. The psychological profile of these deviants normally show that they are abusive within both a domestic setting and also within the community, where they use their links with sectarian/criminals/terrorists to silence their victims. Most have joined the terrorist groups to get easy access to children and other vulnerable people, they know that their crimes will in the majority of cases go un-punished as people are intimidated into silence.

It is important to remember that Homophiles and other sexual deviants get their perversions satisfied by imposing brutality on their victims, Homophiles and other sexual deviants do not actually have to engage in a sexual act per say but rather to weild total control over a child or other vulnerable person, to satisfy their perversions.

In this latest case, Police said the teenager was forced into an old silver 406 Peugeot estate car and driven a short distance away to the Corrib Avenue area. He was taken out of the vehicle and shot twice, once in each leg. It is also worth remembering that these deviants are very weak individuals and over the years many of them have worked for the security forces, such people are allowed to carry out such acts of brutality in order for them to gain information for their handlers. One well known 'republican' peadophile ring operated in Armagh City for many years without one single member being charged, one of the gang originated from Monaghan Town and is a well known deviant. Un-like his Sinn Fein colleague, Michael Merron, who raped children in Barcroft Park in Newry, this particular individual in Armagh has not been charged or prosecuted. Another IRA unit lead by RUC tout Aidan Starrs were all executed by the IRA for being informers, not for the fact that they had kidnapped, raped, murdered and buried a young woman for their own amusement.

FBI

Cyber Chief Describes Efforts to Combat Cyber Crime on Social Networking Sites

Wed, 28 Jul 2010 15:33:42 -0500



Gordon Snow, assistant director of the FBI's Cyber Division, says, "Cyber criminals are using a variety of schemes to defraud or victimize innocent social networking site users."







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Former Carpenters Union Leader Pleads Guilty to Over a Decade of Racketeering

Wed, 28 Jul 2010 15:33:41 -0500



Michael Forde, the former Executive Secretary-Treasurer of the District Council of New York City and Vicinity (the "District Council") of the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners (the "Carpenters Union") and Chairman of the District Council benefit funds, pleaded guilty in Manhattan federal court to participating in a 15-year racketeering scheme.

Internet Crime - FBI

FBI, Slovenian and Spanish Police Arrests Mariposa Botnet Creator, Operators




The FBI, in partnership with the Slovenian Criminal Police and the Spanish Guardia Civil, announced today significant developments in a two-year investigation of the creator and operators of the Mariposa Botnet. A botnet is a network of remote-controlled compromised computers.



The Mariposa Botnet was built with a computer virus known as “Butterfly Bot” and was used to steal passwords for websites and financial institutions. It stole computer users’ credit card and bank account information, launched denial of service attacks, and spread viruses. Industry experts estimated the Mariposa Botnet may have infected as many as 8 million to 12 million computers.



“In the last two years, the software used to create the Mariposa botnet was sold to hundreds of other criminals, making it one of the most notorious in the world,” said FBI Director Robert S. Mueller, III. “These cyber intrusions, thefts, and frauds undermine the integrity of the Internet and the businesses that rely on it; they also threaten the privacy and pocketbooks of all who use the Internet.”



In February, the Spanish Guardia Civil arrested three suspected Mariposa Botnet operators: “Netkairo,” “Jonyloleante,” and “Ostiator,” aka Florencio Carro Ruiz, Jonathan Pazos Rivera, and Juan Jose Bellido Rios. These individuals are being prosecuted in Spain for computer crimes.



Last week, the Slovenian Criminal Police identified and arrested the Mariposa Botnet’s suspected creator, a 23-year-old Slovenian citizen known as “Iserdo.” The work of the Slovenian and Spanish authorities was integral to this investigation.



FBI Cyber Division Assistant Director Gordon M. Snow said: “This case shows the value of strong partnerships among law enforcement agencies worldwide in the fight against cyber criminals. Cyber crime knows no boundaries, and without international collaboration, our efforts to dismantle these operations would be impossible. The FBI praises the work of our Slovenian and Spanish partners who worked closely with our agents in this case.”



In a statement, Slovenian Minister of the Interior Katarina Kresal and Director General Janko Gorsek, Slovenian Criminal Police, said: “We are glad to cooperate with the United States; the FBI’s assistance is invaluable and represents professional affirmation of our force. This case shows that cyber crime issues call for international police cooperation that shouldn’t be hindered by geographical borders. The FBI has demonstrated a high level of collaboration in which our countries were equal partners, which was crucial for the success of the investigation and reducing the threat on a global level. This partnership serves as a solid basis for future cooperation.”



Maj. Juan Salom, commander of the Guardia Civil’s Cyber Crime Division, noted: “The Mariposa case showed how the coordinated and joint actions of different international police forces, along with the efforts of the Internet security industry, have been able to face the global threat of cyber crime,” he said. “The cyber kingpins know that they are not invincible anymore because the global efforts of the FBI, Slovenian Criminal Police, and Spanish Guardia Civil have shown that it doesn’t matter where or how they try to hide, they will be located and prosecuted.”



From 2008 to 2010, the Slovenian citizen created “Butterfly Bot” and sold it to other criminals worldwide. In turn, these criminals developed networks of infected computers—botnets—and the Mariposa variety from Spain was the most notorious and largest. In addition to selling the Butterfly Bot program, the Slovenian citizen developed customized versions for certain customers and created and sold plug-ins (add-ons) to augment the botnet’s features and functionality.



This case is significant because it targeted not only the operators of the botnet but also the creator of the malicious software that was used to build and operate it. The success of this investigation was made possible because of the skill, professionalism, and commitment of the Slovenian Criminal Police’s Cyber Crime Division and the Spanish Guardia Civil’s Computer Crimes Group.



The FBI conducted this investigation with the assistance of the United States Attorney’s Office, District of Hawaii, and the Department of Justice’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section, Office of International Affairs, and the Botnet Threat Focus Cell. The FBI also received invaluable assistance from the Mariposa Working Group.

Liam Adams

Liam Adams has had his case adjourned in the Dublin High Court as his legal team go to the Supreme Court to try and get disclosure of a letter sent from the authorities in Northern Ireland to the State Solicitor's Office in Dublin in relation to alleged short comings in the European Extradition Warrant that was issued for his arrest.

Liam Dominic Adams is being sought by the PSNI in relation to his alleged Rape and Sexual Assault of his daughter Aine when she was a toddler. Liam Adams denies the allegations, however, his brother Gerry Adams, who is the President of Sinn Fein says that he believes Aine and that he had known about the abuse for many years, however, Gerry did not make a statement to the authorities until 2007 when it was clear that Aine was no longer going to be silenced.

While An Phoblacth and other Sinn Fein/IRA cheer leaders have previously had plenty to say about similar cases they have fallen silent in relation to Liam Adams. Sinn Fein/IRA have been responsible for the murder, mutilation and Rape of thousands of children over the past four decades. Liam Dominic Adams was a well placed member of both Sinn Fein and the IRA during the years that he is alleged to have been Raping his daughter.

Political Corruption

Children’s Hospital




In 2006 as I was walking along Dorset Street, I noted that O’Neils Public Bar or the Snug as it was more commonly known on the corner of Eccles Street and Dorset Street was being gutted and renovated, I had to inquire what was going on, who in their right mind would invest millions in this long forgotten and decaying corner of the north side. I stepped inside to find six Polish labourers ripping up floors and pulling down walls, on the counter lay a boron that was signed by the IRA men who had murdered Garda Mc Cabe, one of the Polish lads had just found the boron behind the old counter but had no idea what it was. The Snug had been a rough north side drinking house that was about to be transformed in to a modern Bohemian Café Bar by one of the north sides most prolific yet little known property developers. This property developer pulls no punches when it comes to his support of Fianna Fail and particularly his old and dear friend Berty Ahern. This developer lives only a short distance from Berty and they know each other as well as tea.



Eventually, I got to speak with the developer, who was renovating the Snug, and I simply asked him why he was investing so much in what was effectively a derelict site in a derelict street. The developer explained to me that there was going to be a new state of the art Hospital built on the site of the Mater and Temple Street hospital sites, he explained that this cradle to the grave hospital would have thousands of new staff, many of whom would require accommodation, food and drink. He told me that Dorset Street was about to be transformed both by public and private funding. I then explained to the said developer that I was aware that Minister for Health, Mary Harney, was expressing the view that the new hospital should be built on a green field site. The developer immediately dismissed such talk and said that Berty would be making the decision not Harney. I then explained that Mary Harney was being advised by international experts in terms of best medical practice and so forth. Again my suggestion that Harney would decide where the hospital would be built was dismissed with cautious laughter.



The developer then pointed to the many other sites that he was developing in the proximity of the proposed state of the art hospital. I was bemused that a developer could invest millions around a project that had not yet been given the green light in terms of location; it seemed to me that this was more than mere speculation. The developer then made a slip by letting me know that he was a non-executive Director of Temple Street Children’s Hospital and that he regularly used his building company to carry out work for Senior Consultants, HSE and Department of Health staff. He told me that senior members of Fianna Fail regularly stayed in his Hotel in Scotland, which has an 18 hole golf course and full fitness and leisure suite.



The developer made it very clear that he was in no doubt that the new hospital would be built exactly where he had been told it would be built. The developer while talking to me, made a call to a Government Minister, just to prove to me that he knew what he was talking about, the Minister took his call immediately and the location of the hospital was discussed and the developer ended the phone call confident that the new hospital would be built a few feet from where we were standing. The said developer has since 2006 built town houses, apartments and hotel rooms close to the site of the new hospital and almost all of his new accommodation is filled by contract to those now working on or training within the new hospital campus, which is under construction.



Unlike many of his fellow developers, this particular developer has not felt the nip of the economic downturn; to the contrary, he has just purchased another Hotel in Ballina, County Mayo and is in the process of developing a number of other properties. This developer is not on his own, other Fianna Fail insiders also invested heavily in Dorset Street and the surrounding area and all are enjoying the benefits of filling their accommodation with nurses, student doctors, visiting consultants and the varied professionals and tradesmen now working on the construction of the new hospital. Nothing has changed in Ireland, nepotism and corruption are part and parcel of the shadowy links between big business and oily handed Fianna Fail politicians, yet we will have to wait for a decade or more before Tribunals are established to spend ten years investigating the activities of those who put profit before people, who build hospitals on certain sites to fill the coffers of local property speculators rather than produce best International practice in Health Care.



By theirishobserver.blogspot.com



FN: This information is provided in the public interest and is provided to politicians and journalists free of charge or obligation in the hope that it will be used accordingly.

Terrorism

Once again we see children being used by sectarian criminals as a 16 year old boy appears in court in Belfast alongside mature men facing a number of charges relating to terrorism and fire arms offences.

The PSNI charged the  child and four men after they were detained by the Serious Crime Branch of the PSNI, following an investigation into the activities of 'dissident' criminals.

Those charged are aged 47, 40, 34, 33 and the 16 year old child. The charges relate to an incident on the Falls Road in west Belfast on the 22nd July 2010 during which two guns were recovered.

The four men and the child will appear before Belfast's Magistrates Court this morning.

FBI

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Man Convicted in Attack on Off-Duty D.C.Police Officer

Tue, 27 Jul 2010 16:46:15 -0500



Eddie L. Mathis, Jr., most recently of Fredericksburg, Virginia, was found guilty of attempting to rob an off-duty Metropolitan Police Department officer and then shooting the officer in a December 2003 attack at a Washington, D.C. gas station.







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Three Financial Services Execs Indicted in New York on Fraud, Conspiracy Charges

Tue, 27 Jul 2010 16:41:40 -0500



Dominick P. Carollo, Steven E. Goldberg, and Peter S. Grimm, all former executives at financial service companies or financial institutions, were indicted in New York for their participation in fraud schemes and conspiracies related to bidding for contracts for the investment of municipal bond proceeds and other municipal finance contracts.







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Vermont Man Sentenced on Child Pornography Charge

Tue, 27 Jul 2010 16:38:55 -0500



Glenn Little, of Georgia, Vermont, was sentenced to 20 months in prison following his guilty plea to a charge that he possessed child pornography.







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North Carolina MS-13 Gang Member Sentenced to Death for Double Murders

Tue, 27 Jul 2010 14:58:09 -0500



MS-13 gang member Alejandro Enrique Ramirez Umana, of Charlotte, North Carolina, received the death penalty after being convicted on multiple racketeering and related charges in connection with the murder of two brothers. Umana is the first MS-13 member in the country to receive the death penalty.







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Alabama Man Indicted on Bank Robbery Charges

Tue, 27 Jul 2010 12:52:10 -0500



Quinton Duwan Posey, of Birmingham, Alabama, was indicted in connection with the June robbery of a Regions Bank branch in downtown Birmingham.







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Two Indicted for Alabama Armed Bank Robbery

Tue, 27 Jul 2010 12:50:07 -0500



Nathan Parke Bateman, of Alabaster, Alabama, and Robert Andre Morton, of Meridian, Mississippi, were indicted in connection with the armed robbery of a Regions Bank branch in Alabaster.







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Former City Employee Sentenced in Missouri for Mail Fraud, Theft, Money Laundering

Mon, 26 Jul 2010 12:46:30 -0500



David W. Griggs, a former employee of the city of Nixa, Missouri, was sentenced to two years and eight months in federal prison without parole for his role in a series of mail fraud and money laundering schemes totaling more than $756,000.







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Washington Organic Farmer Sentenced for Bank Robbery Spree Using Fake Bomb

Mon, 26 Jul 2010 12:40:10 -0500



Michael John Fenter, of Port Townsend, Washington, was sentenced to 10 years in prison for robbing two banks in California and two banks in Washington by threatening bank employees with a fake bomb.







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Pennsylvania Man Pleads Guilty to Possessing Child Pornography

Mon, 26 Jul 2010 12:28:47 -0500



Michael Wise, of Forest Hills, Pennsylvania, admitted possessing hundreds of images and videos of child pornography that included known child victims, prepubescent minors, and images of sado-masochistic depictions of violence. The case was initiated after a child alleged that Wise had produced photographs and images of child pornography.







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Pennsylvania Man Pleads Guilty in Cocaine Trafficking Conspiracy

Mon, 26 Jul 2010 12:25:38 -0500



Nathan Paul Rowan, of Clairton, Pennsylvania, pled guilty to conspiring with others to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute more than 200 grams but less than 300 grams of cocaine.







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Pennsylvania Man Sentenced for Role in Marijuana Distribution Ring

Mon, 26 Jul 2010 12:23:50 -0500



Hau Duy Bach, of McCandless Township, Pennsylvania, was sentenced to 12 months and one day in prison and three years' supervised release for his role as a local distributor for an American/Canadian drug organization that smuggled hundreds of pounds of high-quality marijuana across the Canadian border and into western Pennsylvania between 2004 and 2008.







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Pennsylvania Woman Sentenced for Wire Fraud and Counterfeiting Schemes

Mon, 26 Jul 2010 12:22:11 -0500



Amber Johnston, of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, was sentenced to time served, eight months home detention, and three years of supervised release on her conviction of conspiracy to pass counterfeit currency and wire fraud conspiracy.







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California Man Ordered to Pay for Costs Related to Anthrax Hoax

Mon, 26 Jul 2010 12:18:53 -0500



Marc M. Keyser, of Sacramento, California, was ordered to pay nearly $7,000 in costs that various victims and government agencies incurred in response to Keyser's fake anthrax mailings in October 2008. Keyser was sentenced in April 2010 to 51 months in prison for sending the anthrax hoax letters.







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California Man Sentenced for Sex Trafficking of Minors

Mon, 26 Jul 2010 12:15:30 -0500



Reginald Wilson, of Sacramento, California, was sentenced to more than seven years in prison for recruiting two girls, ages 15 and 16, and causing them to engage in prostitution.







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California Man Sentenced on Drug Trafficking Charges

Mon, 26 Jul 2010 12:12:48 -0500



Michael J. Ellison, of Richmond, California, was sentenced to 10 years in prison for large-scale drug trafficking.







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Tennessee Man Pleads Guilty to Role in Armed Bank Robbery

Mon, 26 Jul 2010 12:03:35 -0500



Jamal Siler, of Morristown, Tennessee, pled guilty to his role in the armed robbery of a SunTrust Bank branch in Morristown.







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Owner of Tennessee Car Dealership Sentenced for Bank Fraud

Mon, 26 Jul 2010 11:59:03 -0500



Erik Bruker, of Mineral Bluff Georgia, the owner of Ducktown Dodge in Ducktown, Tennessee, was sentenced to 27 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release for his role in a bank fraud scheme.







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Former GlobeTel CEO Sentenced for Securities and Tax Fraud Conspiracy

Mon, 26 Jul 2010 11:28:31 -0500



Timothy Huff, the former CEO of GlobeTel Communications, which purported to be in the wholesale telecommunications business, was sentenced in Florida to 50 months in prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit securities fraud and to defraud the United States, the United States Treasury Department and the Internal Revenue Service.







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Sex Offender Sentenced in Pennsylvania on Child Pornography Charge

Mon, 26 Jul 2010 11:24:45 -0500



Dennis Myers, a Patchogue, New York resident who is currently serving a 25-year to 50-year state sentence for molesting children in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, was sentenced to an additional five years in federal prison for possessing images of child pornography in 2007 and 2008.







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Former Fugitive Sentenced in New York for Role in Massive Fraud Scheme

Mon, 26 Jul 2010 11:11:21 -0500



Avrum David Friesel was sentenced in Manhattan federal court to 27 months in prison for his participation in a long-running scheme to defraud millions of dollars from a number of federal and state programs, including the Pell Grant and Section 8 Housing programs. Friesel fled from the U.S. to Israel in 1997, shortly before he was charged in the case, and then to the U.K. in 1999, where he hid until he was arrested in 2008.

IFA

IFA and ICMSA to Have Their Say on Review of Nitrates Directive at Oireachtas Environment Committee




July 27th 2010



The views of the two largest farmers’ organisations on what form the proposed changes to the Nitrates review should take will be made clear at tomorrow’s, (28th) meeting of the Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Heritage and Local Government.



Representatives from the IFA and the ICMSA will attend the meeting which takes place at 2pm in Committee Room 2 of Leinster House. Officials from Teagasc and the Department of Environment will also appear at the meeting.



The Nitrates Directive requires that farmers avoid practices which create a risk of pollution to lakes and rivers from agricultural sources such as fertilisers and manure. It also places restrictions on the times of year when farmers can plough land. Farmers’ organisations have criticised these stipulations claiming they reduce yield and increase cost.



Committee Chairman, S an Fleming TD said;

“The Nitrates Directive has had major implications for the way farmers have to go about their business. It dictates when land can and cannot be cultivated, the application of fertilisers and minimum distances from water sources.



Some farmers have complained that the regulations are too restrictive and mean they are not allowed to farm based on the best ground conditions.



Since the Nitrates Directive was introduced several years ago, there has been a significant improvement in water quality brought about by considerable investment by farmers and State bodies. I fully support the farmers in their objective to move away from calendar farming.



At tomorrow’s meeting, we will hear their opinions on how this crucial regulation should be changed.”



The Committee can be followed live at http://www.oireachtas.ie/ViewDoc.asp?fn=/documents/livewebcast/Web-Live.htm&CatID=83&m=o

Catholic Church speaks out both sides of its mouth in relation to child protection

Family Enrichment Centre that is run by the Catholic Church and has been funded by the tax payer to the tune of millions of Euro through a myriad of Government Departments and agencies wants Priests and others who abuse children to serve up to 40 years in Prison.




Under the Freedom of Information Act I have legally obtained a letter dated 31/1/01 and sent from the Family Enrichment Centre, Ceol na Coille, Drumboe Ave, Stranorlar, Diocese of Raphoe, County Donegal (Tel: 074-31245) to the then Minister for Justice, Mr John O’ Donoghue TD, asking that Priests and anyone else who sexually abuses children should serve at least one year for every year that they have been an abuser, for most Priests, Christian Brothers and other religious abusers this could mean up to 40 years in jail, which is the equivalent sentence for murdering a member of An Garda Siochana.



This letter sent to the then Minister on headed note paper leaves the Catholic Church speaking out both sides of its mouth in relation to those who sexually abuse children. Cardinal Sean Brady has been forced to admit publicly that he was present when two children were forced to sign letters of secrecy in relation to their rape at the hands of a Catholic Priest, yet here we have an organisation that is run by the Catholic Church asking the then Minister to impose sentences of up to 40 years on Priests and lay people who have committed similar offences.



It is difficult to understand how a ‘Family Enrichment Centre’ could allow itself to enter the realm of calling for punitive legislation, when all experts agree that prison has little or no impact on those who sexually abuse children, unless there is provision of rehabilitative programmes and a seamless transition from prison to community for such offenders, all of which is sadly lacking in Ireland in the 21st Century. It is also interesting that it was within the Diocese of Raphoe that some of the Catholic Church’s worst offenders originated from and in fact where many of them now reside.



This disclosure under the FOI Act suggests to this writer at least that it is time that we the tax payer started to look very closely at where our tax money is going, why are we funding places such as the ‘Family Enrichment Centre’ when its correspondence with the then Minister proves that the Catholic Church is incapable of providing any standard of child protection as it continues to speak out both sides of its mouth in relation to sexual criminality.





By theirishobserver.blogspot.com





FN: This article has been made available to all media outlets and politicians – the information contained here may be used free of charge or obligation, this information is provided in the public interest and I hope journalists and politicians will use it accordingly.

FBI

Florida Couple Guilty in $13.7 Million HIV Infusion Clinic Fraud Scheme

Fri, 23 Jul 2010 11:15:58 -0500



Miami, Florida-area husband and wife Modesto and Victoria de la Vega pled guilty to their participation in a $13.7 million HIV infusion Medicare fraud scheme.







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Minnesota Couple Convicted of Abusing Their Baby

Sat, 24 Jul 2010 11:24:26 -0500



Charles William Prentice, Jr. and Showy Shalette Johnson, both of Red Lake, Minnesota, were convicted on assault and child endangerment charges in connection with their abuse of their baby.







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Former D.C. Correctional Officer Sentenced in Bribery Case

Fri, 23 Jul 2010 11:31:20 -0500



Former Correctional Officer Quincy Hayes, of Alexandria, Virginia, was sentenced to 12 months and one day in prison for accepting bribes in exchange for smuggling contraband into the Correctional Treatment Facility in Washington, D.C.







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Georgia Man Pleads Guilty in D.C. in Advance Fee Wire Fraud Scheme

Fri, 23 Jul 2010 11:34:47 -0500



Kenneth Lane Milstead, of Atlanta, Georgia, pled guilty in Washington, D.C. to one count of wire fraud for obtaining $315,080.25 through an advance fee scheme in which he promised--but never made--loans to potential borrowers across the United States.







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Texas Men Sentenced in New Hampshire for Role in Significant Cocaine Conspiracy

Fri, 23 Jul 2010 11:41:27 -0500



Texas residents Ciro Lopez Garcia and Marco Garcia were sentenced in New Hampshire to 18.5 years and 16.5 years in prison, respectively, following their convictions on charges of engaging in a conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute in excess of five kilograms of cocaine.







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Missouri Attorney Charged in Kansas with Attempting to Entice a Minor

Fri, 23 Jul 2010 11:46:30 -0500



Attorney Samuel P. Logan, of Kansas City, Missouri, was charged in Kansas City, Kansas with one count of attempting to entice a minor to have sex and one count of sending and receiving child pornography.







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New Jersey Man Pleads Guilty to Possessing Child Pornography

Fri, 23 Jul 2010 11:51:12 -0500



Edmund Arnold, of Burlington County, New Jersey, pled guilty to possession of child pornography, admitting he had more than 600 criminal images.







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Former Pennsylvania Police Officer Sentenced on Drug and Gun Charges

Fri, 23 Jul 2010 11:52:57 -0500



Former Philadelphia police officer Alhinde Weems was sentenced to 15 years in prison in connection with distributing and attempting to distribute crack cocaine and for planning the armed robbery of a drug dealer.







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Pennsylvania Felon Indicted on Drug and Firearm Charges

Fri, 23 Jul 2010 11:55:37 -0500



Alex Ferguson, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was indicted on charges of being a previously convicted felon in possession of a firearm and possession of crack cocaine.







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Georgia Woman Sentenced in Pennsylvania on Mortgage Fraud Charges

Fri, 23 Jul 2010 11:58:37 -0500



Nancy Barlet, of Atlanta, Georgia, was sentenced to 18 months in prison for her role in a Luzerne County, Pennsylvania mortgage fraud scheme in 2005 and 2006.







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Army Sergeant Pleads Guilty in Washington to Sex Trafficking Juveniles

Fri, 23 Jul 2010 12:41:00 -0500



Sterling Terrance Hospedales, a U.S. Army sergeant based at Fort Lewis, Washington, pled guilty to sex trafficking of a child and attempted sex trafficking of a child.







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Connecticut Bookkeeper Sentenced for Embezzling from Employer

Mon, 26 Jul 2010 14:58:56 -0500



Peter C. Yarasavich, of Milford, Connecticut, was sentenced to 15 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release for embezzling nearly $150,000 from a company where he worked as a temporary employee in the position of bookkeeper.







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Kansas Cattleman Sentenced for Multi-Million-Dollar Bank Fraud

Mon, 26 Jul 2010 15:04:28 -0500



Joseph C. Donohue, of Greeley, Kansas, was sentenced to six months in federal prison followed by six months of house arrest and was ordered to pay $10 million in restitution following his guilty plea to bank fraud.







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Texas Physician Assistant Convicted of Conspiring to Defraud Medicaid

Mon, 26 Jul 2010 15:10:43 -0500



Physician assistant Manuel Puig, of McAllen, Texas, pled guilty to his role in a conspiracy to defraud the Texas Medicaid program, admitting that he submitted or caused to be submitted over 6,000 fraudulent claims to Medicaid for which Medicaid paid approximately $173,830.56 between May 2005 and January 2006.

Childrens Rights

Children’s Referendum Among Items for Discussion as Heads of ISPCC and Barnardos Attend Oireachtas Health Committee




26th July 2010



The heads of the country’s two largest children’s advocacy groups, the ISPCC and Barnardos will attend a meeting of the Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children, tomorrow, (27th) at 3pm in Committee Room 2 of Leinster House.



Fergus Finlay of Barnardos and Ashley Balbirnie of the ISPCC will put to Committee members their perspectives on the priority areas for child protection and welfare in the aftermath of the Murphy and Ryan Reports.



The meeting is likely to focus on the main concerns these agencies have for the care and protection of children in Ireland today. It will examine issues such as the referendum on children’s rights, 24 hour social work services, the vetting process for adults working with children, and the children first guidelines.



Committee Chairman, Se n O’Fearghail TD said;

“The findings of the both the Murphy and Ryan reports laid bare some of the serious shortcomings which were prevalent in the way the State treated vulnerable children.



While there have been advancements in child care practices in latter years, the recent accounts regarding the deaths of young people while in care of the State show that gaps still exist in the service.



As two of the largest organisations representing children in Ireland, the ISPCC and Barnardos have a clear insight to the needs of children and how they can be safeguarded.



We will be particularly keen to hear their views on the proposed children’s referendum the level of services for children in care.”

Hospital Trolleys

This afternoon Monday 26th July 2010 there are 192 Irish people on hospital trolleys, Mary Harney should be ashamed of herself, that the good people of this country who have paid their taxes are being treated like animals. While the corrupt and the criminal within the Golden Circle continue to enjoy the trappings of luxury thanks to this corrupt and inept Government.

Former PSNI Chief says Lunitics could end up running British Police

Coalition plans for directly elected American-style police commissioners to end the 'disconnect' with the ordinary public will be unveiled by the British Home Secretary today.


Voters will be allowed to elect powerful officials who can then order chief constables to carry his or her set of policies - or face the sack.



The new commissioners - whose creation has been vigorously opposed by senior police officers - will also control multi-million pound force budgets.



Theresa May hopes the reforms will make forces more responsive and end the 'job for life' culture that senior Tories believe leads to complacency amongst some chief constables.



But she faces fierce opposition from the Association of Chief Police Officers whose president, Sir Hugh Orde, has previously warned that the new jobs could attract 'retired coopers or lunatics'. Sir Hugh who once headed up the PSNI knows only too well what it is like when the lunatics take over the asylum, with former terrorists now on the policing partnership boards in Northern Ireland.



Mrs May will say: 'For too long, the police have become disconnected from the communities they serve, they have been bogged down by bureaucracy, and they have answered to distant politicians instead of the people.



'These reforms will cut out the bureaucracy generated by centralised control of the police, they will make the police more responsive to their local communities and, in doing so, they will once again become crime fighters rather than form writers.

Watch this 2 Minute Video about Greedy Irish Politician

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=395N1qf7K9Q
The lyrics and music for this song were written by The Irish Observer and this song is performed by The Irish Observer.

Sophie Tuscan Du Plantier

Ian Bailey's extradition hearing has been further delayed.










The journalist is wanted in France in connection with the murder of French film producer Sophie Toscan du Plantier.







She was found dead at her holiday home in Schull, Co Cork in December 1996.







The High Court had intended to set a hearing date today over France's request to extradite Bailey.







It was informed that while Mr Bailey is keen for the case to proceed, his legal team are waiting on an affidavit from a French lawyer they are consulting.







The lawyer has been delayed trying to find out precisely what the French extradition warrant is based on because he does not have access at present to the relevant court file.







The 53-year-old journalist has always denied any involvement in Sophie Toscan du Plantier's death.







He is contesting his surrender to France, alleging abuse of process and garda misconduct.







Mr Justice Michael Peart has put the matter back until October 2010.











Woman who was beaten by Ian Bailey says Bailey is being stitched up.







During a number of civil actions taken by Ian Bailey against a number of newspapers it became clear that Ian Bailey was a man who engaged in domestic violence against his live in partner Miss Jules Thomas. Miss Jules Thomas continues to live with Ian Bailey at her home in CountyCork. Miss Jules Thomas has told a French TV crew that, “I would not stay with a murderer. I am not a stupid woman”. Miss Thomas was speaking about the fact that the French authorities have issued a European arrest warrant for Mr Ian Bailey in relation to the murder of 39 year old French woman Sophie Toscan du Plantier in Cork in 1996.







La femme qui a été battue par Ian Bailey dit que Bailey est piqué en haut.







Pendant un certain nombre de mesures civiles prises par Ian Bailey contre un certain nombre de journaux il est devenu clair qu'Ian Bailey était un homme qui s'est livré à la violence dans la famille contre son vivant dans Mlle de partenaire Jules Thomas. Mlle Jules Thomas continue à vivre avec Ian Bailey à sa maison dans le Liège de Comté. Mlle Jules Thomas a dit à un équipage de TV français que, “je ne resterais pas avec un meurtrier. Je ne suis pas une femme stupide”. Mlle Thomas parlait du fait que les autorités françaises ont délivré un mandat d'arrestation européen pour M. Ian Bailey par rapport au meurtre de femme française de 39 ans Sophie Toscan du Plantier dans le Liège en 1996.







Sophie Toscan du Plantier. Who Done It?







French (English below)







Les Nouveaux Renseignements sur le Meurtre de Sophie



Sophie Toscan du Plantier. Qui Fait Cela ?







Pour ces Rédacteurs en chef populaires qui tenaient souvent la première page pour Ian Baileys insightful et copie exclusive sur les reportages du meurtre brutal de producteur de film de 39 ans Sophie Toscan du Plantier, près de sa résidence secondaire à l'extérieur Schull dans le Liège ouest, le 22 décembre 1996, Ian Bailey est maintenant le persona non grata aux mêmes Rédacteurs en chef.







Gardai croit que Sophie Toscan du Plantier s'enfuyait de son attaquant quand elle a été sauvagement assassinée. On y croit que le soir ou dans la nuit du 22 décembre 1996 Sophie Toscan du Plantier a été dérangée ou surprise par sa maison par son tueur. Une chose est à coup sûr, elle a subi un meurtre brutal et lâche.







Pendant que les tabloïdes ont versé l'insightful d'Ian Bailey et des reportages exclusifs sur le meurtre de Sophie Toscan du Plantier, les Gardai commençaient à trouver le nom d'Ian Bailey apparaissant sur leur radar d'investigation.







English







For those tabloid Editors who often held the front page for Ian Baileys insightful and exclusive copy on the reporting of the brutal murder of 39 year-old film producer Sophie Toscan du Plantier, close to her holiday home outside Schull in west Cork, on the 22 December 1996, Ian Bailey is now persona non grata to the same Editors.







Gardai believe that Sophie Toscan du Plantier was running away from her attacker when she was brutally murdered. It is believed that on the evening or in the night of the 22 December 1996 Sophie Toscan du Plantier was disturbed or surprised at her home by her killer. One thing is for certain, she suffered a brutal and cowardly killing.







While the tabloids poured out Ian Bailey’s insightful and exclusive reporting on the murder of Sophie Toscan du Plantier, the Gardai were starting to find Ian Bailey’s name appearing on their investigative radar. Ian Bailey lived in the area where Sophie Toscan du Plantier had lived and where she was so brutally murdered. However, the Gardai had more information than this to identify Ian Bailey as a suspect. This information or ‘evidence’ was not enough to bring charges against Ian Bailey, but it was enough to have him arrested twice within a fourteen month period and subsequently released due to lack of evidence.







Later in 2003 Ian Bailey would bring civil actions against some newspapers for suggesting that he was in fact the murderer of Sophie Toscan du Plantier. Some of these newspapers paid damages to Ian Bailey, others were cleared of any wrong doing. During the civil actions Bailey was painted as a very un-pleasant person. Being an un-pleasant and un-civilised person does not make one a murderer. However, this writer can exclusively reveal that Ian Bailey may well be the architect of his own downfall.







Once the lurid tabloids had destined Ian Bailey to that drawer in the filling cabinet marked persona non grata, Ian Bailey was left without a lively hood and therefore an income. It is during this period that Ian Bailey made a new friend. That new friend was one Mr Patrick O Riordan. Mr Patrick O Riordan had lived in England for many years but had returned to Cork following the break down of his marriage. Mr O Riordan had a chip van and he offered his new friend Mr Ian Bailey a job. Mr Ian Bailey and Mr O Riordan became big buddies. Mr Bailey would often travel over to England to stay with Mr O Riordan when he was back in London visiting family.







However, Mr Patrick O Riordan would also soon come to the attention of the Gardai. Mr Patrick O Riordan’s estranged daughter wanted to meet her father as she was soon to get married. So Mr Patrick O Riordan’s daughter flew over from England to meet her father in Cork. On arrival Patrick O Riordan was every thing his daughter had wanted to find, a caring, tall, strong, clean and sober businessman. That evening Patrick O Riordan treated his daughter to a fine dinner and some drinks. Then Mr Patrick O Riordan invited his daughter to stay with him in his BB accommodation and she could use his bed while he would sleep on the floor. However, early next morning Mr Patrick O Riordan would be arrested as he tried to leave the country after his daughter contacted Gardai to say her Father had raped her in his BB room. Mr Patrick O Riordan would be sentenced to ten years for the rape of his daughter. He has since been repatriated to finish his sentence in England.







It was during this close relationship with Mr O Riordan that Ian Bailey allegedly admitted for the first time that he had in fact murdered Sophie du Plantier. The Gardai are aware of this alleged admission, however, at no time did Mr Patrick O Riordan try to use this information to do a deal with the State in relation to his own charging and conviction for rape. No, Patrick O Riordan never disclosed this information until he was in the confidence of a fellow prisoner in Wheatfield Prison. Mr Patrick O Riordan had nothing to gain from this disclosure and never gained anything from this disclosure. So it is a disclosure that holds some very substantial merit as far as this writer is concerned.







Now a European Arrest Warrant has been issued for Ian Bailey. Ian Bailey now in his second year of a law degree was quick to respond to the news of the European Arrest Warrant. Ian Bailey’s solicitor was on the news within hours and saying that Ian Bailey would contest the warrant, which is his legal right to do. The DPP have certainly been unable to bring any charge of murder against Mr Bailey, so is it possible that the French have a strong enough case to pursue such a charge. French law allows the French authorities to investigate the death of their nationals abroad, and this is fair and right.







For this writer Ian Bailey has been the architect of his own down fall. However, that does not mean that this writer wants to see a miscarriage of justice. I think it is important that Ian Bailey travels to France and allows the legal process to take its course. Ian Bailey is well versed in the law and has access to able counsel; he should have no fear of the French authorities if he is an innocent man.







During the civil actions taken by Ian Bailey, Paul Gallagher asked Mr Bailey, “What kind of man are you?” this question can only truly be answered by a full, open and fair hearing. Many aspects of this case including those disclosed here today need to be fully examined. Other matters such as why Maria Farrell who claimed to have seen Mr Bailey close to the scene of the murder of Sophie du Plantier on the night in question, and then admitted that she had not in fact seen him at all, need to be answered. The Attorney General, Mr Paul Gallagher, is studying the merits of the European Extradition Warrant that has been issued for Bailey. This is the same Paul Gallagher who cross examined Mr Bailey during his civil actions against some news papers. I have no doubt that Mr Gallagher’s objectivity will be challenged at some point.







It is neither important nor relevant if the French authorities are simply trying to shift the buck in this matter. What is important is that this brutal and cowardly murder needs to be solved. If clearing Mr Bailey of any wrong doing or finding his guilt has to be done in a French court, so be it. But Mr Bailey does not serve his cause well by fighting this warrant.







UPDATE







irishtimes.com 24th April 2010.







Journalist Ian Bailey was arrested shortly before midnight last night after the High Court earlier endorsed a European Arrest Warrant.







Mr Bailey is being sought by the French authorities in connection with the murder of French film producer, Sophie Toscan du Plantier in West Cork 13 years ago.







Officers from the Garda Extradition Section in Dublin travelled to West Cork last night where they arrested Mr Bailey shortly before midnight at his home outside Schull and brought him to Bandon Garda Station arriving there at around 1.15am.







It's expected that Mr Bailey will be brought before the High Court today where he's likely to apply for bail pending a full hearing in which the decision of the French authorities to issue a European Arrest Warrant for his arrest will be contested.







Last night's arrest came after Mr Justice Michael Peart sitting in the High Court in Dublin endorsed the European Arrest Warrant for Mr Bailey issued last month by French magistrate, Judge Patrick Gachon who is investigating Ms Toscan du Plantier's murder.







Lawyers from the Chief State Solicitors Office went before the High Court in Dublin yesterday afternoon with the original European Arrest Warrant issued by French Magistrate, Judge Patrick Gachon last month and presented it to Mr Justice Michael Peart.







Last week, Mr Justice Peart had asked for the original warrant and upon receipt of the document yesterday afternoon, he endorsed it, paving the way for the arrest last night of Mr Bailey (53) who is currently studying for his final law exams at his home near Schull in West Cork.







Mr Bailey's arrest is likely to trigger a protracted legal battle as Mr Bailey's solicitor, Frank Buttimer has already indicated that his client will vigourously contest the validity of the warrant and any attempt to extradite him to France when he is brought before the High Court.







And Mr Buttimer is on the record as saying that, in what he believes is the unlikely event of his client losing in the High Court, then he will appeal the matter to the Supreme Court as he believed granting a warrant in such circumstances would raise broader constitutional issues.







However the news that Mr Justice Peart had endorsed the European Arrest Warrant was last night enthusiastically welcomed by relatives and friends of Ms Toscan du Plantier who have campaigned to have her killer brought to justice.







Ms Toscan du Plantier's uncle, Jean Pierre Gazeau described the news as "fantastic" and congratulated the Irish justice system for its speedy endorsement of the European Arrest Warrant to facilitate the arrest of Mr Bailey.







"This is fantastic and it is so heartening for Sophie's parents, Georges and Marguerite because they have been waiting for 14 years for something like this," said Mr Gazeau who is also President of the Association for the Truth about the Murder of Sophie Toscan du Plantier







"Of course we know and fully expect Mr Bailey to fight this in the Irish High Court and the Irish Supreme Court if necessary so we still have many more steps to travel but tonight our hope grows a lot stronger," he told The Irish Times .







Mr Gazeau commended Judge Gachon on his work to date and he re-iterated his challenge to Mr Bailey to come to France to face the magistrate if, as he has continually claimed, he is innocent of any involvement in his niece's death.







"Ian Bailey has always said that he had nothing to do with the murder of Sophie - if that is the case, then he should to come to France to answer the many contradictions between his testimony and those of other witnesses in his libel action - let him come to France," he said.







Lawyer, Alain Spilliaert who advises the family and ASSOPH, also welcomed the news that European Arrest Warrant had been endorsed and described it as "a historic moment in the long and very determined struggle by the family to get justice".







"I am surprised because I had read that it would take several weeks for the judge to decide but the Irish authorities had shown great urgency and the investigation is now at a critical time but for us now there is a ray of hope in the distance and it's brightening all the time."







UPDATE







BARRY ROCHE Southern Correspondent - irishtimes.com







THE DECISION by French authorities to seek the extradition of Ian Bailey in connection with the death of Sophie Toscan du Plantier is based on a number of factors, including Mr Bailey’s behaviour in the immediate aftermath of the killing, The Irish Times has learned.







It is understood that investigating magistrate Judge Patrick Gachon has based his decision to issue a European arrest warrant for Mr Bailey on three distinct grounds, following a close examination of the Garda file on the killing and affidavits sworn by Garda witnesses.







Judge Gachon believes Mr Bailey has a case to answer on the basis that he knew certain details about the murder of Ms Toscan du Plantier at her holiday home in Toormore near Schull in 1996 prior to these details being confirmed by the police.







It is also understood that Judge Gachon is of the view that Mr Bailey’s statements that he suffered scratches to his face and arms while killing turkeys and cutting down a Christmas tree on the day before Ms Toscan du Plantier was killed do not stand up to close scrutiny.







Judge Gachon also believes that there is sufficient evidence on the Garda file to suggest that Mr Bailey was not at his home at Liscaha, Schull, for the entirety of the night of December 22nd/December 23rd, 1996, when Ms Toscan du Plantier was killed.







Judge Gachon has spent 12 months examining the Garda file, which includes statements from over 240 witnesses as well as a review of the Garda handling of the original investigation, while he also heard evidence from two officers who were centrally involved in the investigation.







Supt Liam Horgan, who is heading the Garda investigation into the killing and who was a liaison officer with Ms Toscan du Plantier’s family, and Det Garda Jim Fitzgerald spent three days giving evidence before Judge Gachon last November.







Mr Bailey, who was arrested on foot of the European arrest warrant at his home in Schull late last Friday night and brought before the High Court in Dublin on Saturday, has stated in court that he believes the warrant is based on false information.







His solicitor Frank Buttimer has indicated that his client will fully contest the warrant in the High Court and that if he loses that decision he will appeal the ruling to the Supreme Court, as he believes it raises broader constitutional issues.







Mr Bailey, who was twice arrested by gardaí for questioning about the murder of Ms Toscan du Plantier and was twice released without charge, hasconsistently protested his innocence and denied any involvement in the killing.







Ms Toscan du Plantier’s mother, Marguerite Bouniol, has welcomed the issuing of the European arrest warrant by Judge Gachon and said the family was hopeful that Mr Bailey would be extradited to France to allow Judge Gachon progress his inquiry into the murder.







Up date: 2nd June 2010:







Efforts by Ian Bailey to fight an attempt by France to extradite him raises “complex issues” including a claim of “abuse of process” and allegations of Garda misconduct, the High Court heard today 2nd June 2010.







The matter was adjourned until next month, when the court said it would be “anxious” to fix a hearing date for the request.







French authorities are seeking the surrender of Mr Bailey, with an address ‘The Pararie” Toormore, Schull, Co Cork, in connection with the murder of Sophie Toscan du Plantier in December 1996.