Irvine controversy has impacted confidence in justice system – Singleton

By Jonathan McCambridge, PA

Controversy around the sentencing of leading loyalist Winston Irvine has impacted upon confidence in the criminal justice system in Northern Ireland, PSNI Deputy Chief Constable Bobby Singleton has said.

Mr Singleton also told the Policing Board that he wanted to give clarity that he did not provide a character witness for Irvine and would not have done so if asked.

Irvine was sentenced to two-and-a-half years, with half to be served in jail, at Belfast Crown Court last month following an incident where firearms and ammunition were found in the boot of his car.

Irvine avoided a statutory five-year sentence on several of the charges he faced after Judge Gordon Kerr KC ruled there were “exceptional circumstances” in his case, namely Irvine’s “work for peace and his charity work in the community”.

The Public Prosecution Service (PPS) has said it is considering whether there is any legal basis to appeal the sentence.

The length of Irvine’s sentence and the fact he and his co-accused Robin Workman were not prosecuted for terrorism offences has attracted controversy.

Mr Singleton was asked about the case during the monthly meeting of the Policing Board.

He said: “I think this case and the debate surrounding it undoubtedly has impacted on confidence in the entire criminal justice system.

“As the face, the front end of that, it has also impacted on policing.”

Mr Singleton added: “For clarity, I absolutely did not provide a character reference for Mr Irvine, nor was I asked to.

“If I had been, I absolutely wouldn’t have done so.”

The senior officer said he had given evidence under oath during an earlier preliminary inquiry in the case.

He added: “As Mr Irvine’s arrest by our counter-terrorism officers and subsequent investigation by our terrorism investigation unit demonstrates, we police without fear or favour, and that is exactly the way it should be.”

Assistant Chief Constable Davy Beck said sentencing was a matter for the courts.

He said Irvine had been arrested by police under the Terrorism Act and there had been a “thorough investigation”.

He added: “I can confirm that ballistic testing of all the firearms was conducted and there was no previous history in respect of those firearms or indeed the ammunition.

“Our role is to investigate and to place evidence before the court.”

Irvine, 49, of Ballysillan Road in north Belfast, and Workman, 54, of Shore Road in Larne, Co Antrim, both admitted possession of a firearm and ammunition in suspicious circumstances.

They also admitted two counts of possessing a handgun without a certificate, one count of possessing ammunition without a certificate, possessing a prohibited weapon and possessing a firearm without a certificate.

Workman further pleaded guilty to possessing a .177 calibre air rifle without holding a firearm certificate.

The offences were committed on June 8 2022, when Workman transported a quantity of weapons and ammunition to the Glencairn area of Belfast in his van, which were then put into the boot of Irvine’s Volkswagen Tiguan car.

A short time later, Irvine’s vehicle was stopped by police in Disraeli Street.

A long-barrelled firearm, two suspected pistols, several magazines and a large quantity of ammunition were discovered inside a bag in the boot.

While the judge noted that UVF paraphernalia was found in the homes of both defendants, he did not consider that there was a terrorist link to the weapons.