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POLICE IN NORTHERN Ireland are appealing for information on the 30th anniversary of the murder of Constable John Haggan on 10 March 1994.
Constable Haggan, also known as Jackie, was a 33-year-old, married man who lived in Newtownabbey. He had two children and his wife was pregnant when he was murdered.
Haggan was socialising in the members’ bar on the upper floor of the Dunmore Greyhound Stadium on Alexander Park Avenue in north Belfast at around 9.15pm when he was approached from behind by two gunmen.
One of the gunmen shot Haggan in the head from close range. He was shot again as he lay on the floor.
The second gunman warned other customers not to move before firing into the ceiling to cover their getaway.
Police believe the gunmen made their escape in a gold coloured Seat Ibiza car, with a registration of VRM NXI 7341, that was driven by a third accomplice.
They made off towards Alexander Park Avenue before turning left onto Jellicoe Avenue.
The car had been hijacked shortly before 8pm from Stratford Gardens in the Ardoyne area of Belfast and was found at Chichester Court off the Antrim Road by a local police patrol just before 11.30pm.
“This was a sickening attack on a family man who was out socialising with his wife and friends. Murdered in cold blood for no other reason than being a police officer providing a service to the local community and local people of east Belfast where he had been stationed for 12 years,” PSNI Detective Chief Inspector Byrne said.
“This is in stark contrast to the terrorists responsible for his brutal murder,” Byrne said.
“Thirty years have now passed since Jackie was murdered and I am appealing for anyone who has any knowledge of what happened that night and who have not spoken to police previously to do so now,” the Detective Chief Inspector added.
“I am appealing to anyone who was in the stadium that evening either before or after the murder. Did you see the gunmen before or after the attack? Do you know who these individuals were? Did you see them make their escape after the attack? Did you see the gold coloured Seat Ibiza car in the vicinity of the stadium or being abandoned in Chichester Court?” Byrne said.
Anyone with information can contact detectives in Legacy Investigation Branch on 101 or LIBEnquiries@psni.pnn.police.uk.
You can also submit a report online using the PSNI non-emergency reporting form or by calling Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
Censoring again with a DOB article below….
Enda and him go way back!!
Ah don’t worry sure Enda hasn’t been near DOB since they shared a platform in the New York stock exchange……
Sorry, I know this has nothing to do with this article but I just had to give our Enda a wee mention. “What happened in the past is in the past” he says. Well, will someone please remind him of this statement when he next tries to bring up what Gerry et al allegedly got up to in the past, as a means of deflecting from FG fu@k ups.
Vincent Brown on at moment a+e is going to go
He’s in right form!
When the first inmate dies as a result of the closure,they will reopen it but how many law abiding,decent people will die in the interim.
Shame of labour for their complete sellout of the workers of Ireland
It will take decades to sort out the mess that is the HSE, truth be told. There is not one person, not one, in this current or any previous gov formation that has the wherwithall or baĺls to take it on board and deal with it.
Why oh why is the department of health given to anyone who 1. Does not understand health and 2. Not understand a balance sheet.
Why is the health of the nation under the remit of someone so unqualified for the job at hand?
And even up to the end of April, how many people bought private HI, and arent even covered for a Elastoplast waterproof plaster?
I propose that the next government put in a mandate..remove the minister for health from gov shackles, put in a person qualified to run a company/business as large as the HSE.
I know I’ll probably be red thumbed to bits but on this I dont care. The mess that is the HSE has to be dealt with.
Couldn’t agree more.
Be proud of Enda and co ensuring the welfare of the Irish citizen is the priority – not.
Have they ever heard of Naas? It’s twenty minutes up the motorway.
And Tullamore half an hour away too. Ask any local person in the area and they’ll have a horror story about Portlaoise hospital. It’s not fit for purpose.
Do you know each and every one of us Karen? I don’t remember giving you my opinion on the matter.
speak for yourself karen. a drive to naas and tullamore are a journey I’d rather not take when it’s life or death when there’s an a&e a few minutes away. portlaoise serves more than the town it serves many, many people from many other areas. It should be invested in and run better, not just thrown away. It’s always the way in ireland when things are broken they don’t fix it they close them up and put pressure on somewhere else in this instance other hospitals which will be swamped by the overflow from portlaoise.
Good on you Journal watching the people’s debate .
Can we comment on inda’s black eye in the video there? Same side noonan took a smack on a few weeks back. Coincidence?
Woohoo… not blocked on this account yet. Has been difficult trying to comment with the truth lately.
They must have a screw loose.
Yes Prison Officers will have to travel further if Portlaoise A+E closes the same as Castherea officers have to since the closure of ROSCOMMON A+E was closed 4 years ago. And no-one is mentioning the cost of all the extra ambulances that are being called in from a private Ambulance service since the closure and then also the extra cost to the prison service for the long escorts too that has been incurred.Reilly,Kenny,Gilmore,Burton and their merry little men for making up all the lies that they have done but the people of Ireland have woken up and We the people will not tolerate this shambles that Fine Gael and Labour have totally destroyed our Health System they are spending millions every year because of the closure of the A+E’s since taking office.The lies continues…This Government have spent more money to keep Roscommon A+E closed with the overtime to the ambulance service and the cost of employing Private Ambulance Service.They are spending €20million on Roscommon Hospital trying to placate the people of Roscommon and telling us that the hospital is safer now that the A+E is closed.Yes it is Safer but so will all hospitals that have their A+E’s closed cos there are no patients brought in by ambulances from RTA’s or strokes or heart attacks etc a stupid comment to make and these comments are made by the very people who are supposed to be intelligent educated people and they think we the people will vote for them I have three dogs that would do a better job than them
Roscommon A&E could be open 48 hours a day, and it still would be the wrong place to have a heart attack or stroke.
Heart attack – treated with reopening the artery with stents – need a cath lab and a team of cardiologists and specialists nurses.
Stroke – treated with clot busting drugs – need a CT scan +/- MRI, radiologists, and neurologists.
Roscommon/Port Laoise are too small to provide the specialist treatment people deserve – be it cancer care, cardiac or trauma care.
Roscommon A&E was closed on lies and false figures Roscommon had a very good Cardiac unit with specialised staff small yes but very successful The dogs on the street knows why Kenny closed Roscommon A+E yes he wanted to destroy Denis Naughton but hey Denis is a very well respected in Roscommon for his honesty hard work and his locality
Roscommon A&E could be open 72 hours a day and still the closest cath lab would be in Galway.
Sitting in a “cardiac unit” in Roscommon isn’t the treatment for a heart attack. An angiogram and stents is.
If I had a heart attack – I want to see a cardiologist- not a general medical consultant. Likewise for stroke – I want a stroke specialist and care in a specialist stroke ward. Roscommon is too small to have these services.
Can the prisoners not be sedated ( with a valium or something) would make it a lot easier for them to be brought to the hospital.
Several hours??? Your in portlaoise not Outer Mongolia. It’s less than an hour from Dublin. Jesus Christ wtf is wrong with these people.
A few minutes is all it takes between life and death. Portlaoise hospital and a&e dept serves a huge catchment area. Unfortunately somebody having a heart attack or stroke etc does not have the luxury of having a few hours to allow them to get to a Dublin hospital for treatment. And yes it could take that long to get there. First of all you have to wait God knows how long for an ambulance to even get to you in the first place. The a&e dept cannot close. Lives will be lost.
” Defund, let system break down, the public get angry, offer ‘only solution’ – hand over to private capital ” – N.C.
Denis O’Brien is waiting with his private hospitals, Brian Cowen at the helm, – for health insurance to be made compulsory for everyone.
And of course, like the water charges, The government will scare, & bully the citizens with the usual threats of ‘having it taken directly from wages/welfare, pocket money, whatever.
Brian Cowen pushed for privatisation of the health service when he was Taoiseach, – I wonder why…
have your say