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NOTORIOUS PARAMILITARY KILLER Michael Stone has been released from prison.
The decision was taken by parole commissioners on Monday and Stone was freed from Maghaberry Prison today, the PA news agency understands.
Stone, a former member of the Ulster Defence Association (UDA), killed three people in a gun and grenade attack at Milltown Cemetery in west Belfast following an IRA funeral.
A legal challenge had been launched by his victims’ families in a bid to prevent him applying for early release from prison, but was dismissed by the Court of Appeal last year.
He was freed under the Good Friday Agreement in 2000 but was returned to prison six years later for trying to kill then Sinn Fein leaders Gerry Adams and Martin McGuinness at Stormont.
Stone was found guilty of three other killings in addition to the Milltown Cemetery attack that took place on 16 March 1988.
They included murdering a milkman, shooting a joiner in the head and firing at another man up to 16 times with a submachine gun.
In November last year, Northern Ireland’s highest court ruled that Stone could apply for early release from prison.
It said keeping the notorious paramilitary behind bars until at least 2024 would “constitute an interference with the physical liberty of the prisoner and could only arise under clear authority of the law”, and in its view this could not be implied.
The issue under consideration was whether he would stay in jail until at least 2024, or whether his minimum tariff expired in 2018, including the six years he was freed under licence.
The court concluded that the period that the prisoner spent lawfully on licence ought to be included in the relevant part of his sentence.
Stone had been serving a 30-year jail term.
One of his victims was 20-year-old Thomas McErlean.
His sister, Deborah McGuinness, had taken legal action in a bid to attempt her brother’s killer from applying for early release.
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If people are eating they can keep social distancing.
As soon as there is drink onboard you relax and your guard goes down.
Would be far more difficult to police
@John Ward: that fact that publicans have to be told this is justification that they should stay closed.
You gotta fight for your right to party
@Modern Irish Dad: these places aren’t thinking straight, it’s not when they open, it’s will people flock to them when they do.
I give a lot of places a month or so after reopening and bust to follow. They are lucky now, imagine opening, paying for staff and products but no customers turn up.
@RJ: True true
The A/E departments have being quiet the weekends since the lockdown so if the pubs never ever opened again it would be a good thing I suspect.
@Frances Faller: I’d say you’re great craic
@thomas patrick: probably good craic without 10 pints and a line of coke. But you’re just looking forward to the “socialising”, I guess?
@Brynþór Patrekursson: clown
@Brynþór Patrekursson: the dealers can deliver
@Frances Faller: spot on Frances
@thomas patrick: so you’re advocating the influx of A&E incidents all in the name of having a bit of “craic” with the lads?
You can have craic without being an absolute spastic yano?
So they are not set in stone. This is the way to keep people onboard.
Pubs in rural Ireland should be allowed open before big places in Temple bar e.t.c. It was the big places in Temple bar e.t.c that helped accelerated this whole mess. I think Rural Ireland is in a better position than Dublin city, Cork city to reopen. Especially Dublin because it has over half of virus cases.
Country of pathetic alcoholics. More concern for filling their livers than saving lives. Oh sorry, it’s all about ‘the jobs’…sure it is!
@Ricky: clown
@Ricky: This has absolutely nothing to do with People wanting to fill their livers you ignoramus.
There is thousands of pubs owners out there, that have Restaurants built into their pubs. It makes zero sense to have pubs opening at a later sense, but have Restaurants opening sooner.
@Ricky: Sure if we closed down the roads forever we would save lots of lives too, we’re such a pathetic country of petrol heads
@Chris Cantwell: Yes it does make sense as mentioned countless times to people like you. Whatever about respecting social distancing have food, having people in solely to drink makes social distancing nearnimpossible to police as people become more unpredictable with drink on board.
It makes perfect sense to see first how restaurant cope and if infection levels spike before opening up the pubs.
@Ricky: Hopefully when the dust settles I’m definitely going partying with you.
@Brian: ..& security.
How do the bouncers stay 2m apart should they be required to remove a drunk or otherwise?
If pubs can serve food & limit alcohol to the dining table it’s worth testing the water. I guess.
@Brian: I think the types of places where people are getting ‘smashed out of their tree’, as you term it, is not in question. Be a long time before that. What about the small places where people like going for a few pints while the spuds boiling.
@Ricky: W*nker
@Fergus O’Connor: Ha ha….looks like I’ve triggered a certain demographic of the population…cry into your pint…oh wait.
@Ricky: Climb down from your moral high horse. We’re all in the same boat here.
@Ricky: what a race of gullible clowns we are..
@Ricky:
Not everyone behaves like your family and friends.
The majority are only interested in having a few social beers in good company.
@Ricky:
U seemed to forget that the publicans closed their pubs voluntry 2 day before St Patricks day and even though they had insurance policies to cover their incomes but due to them closing themselves the insurance companies was not honoring them. most of the publicans had never being unemployed before in their life before the pandemic
Any news on the Barbers
@Sean Dempsey: It’s really odd that Denmark and Spain opened barbers and hairdressers straight away and we are waiting 3 months.
@Mairead Jenkins: Australia never shut them down
@Sean Dempsey: July 20th and I’m already starting to look like the love child of yer man from ZZ Top and a fecking Taliban. It’s hair clippers and a homemade n. 1 for me.
How are publicans comparing themselves to restaurants? I’m mad for a pint myself but the only way it would work is if security on the door to allow certain numbers in at one time, and I can’t see it being too viable for publicans. It’s like chalk and cheese
@Stiofán De Priondárgas: it’s nice to sit and people watch, but spending 20 quid for a weekends pints had worked out a lot better than the €6 each in the pub.
@Stiofán De Priondárgas: going by your method then any large restaurant or fast food outlet would also need security to only allow certain numbers in eg McDonalds , Burger King, Anns, thunder road and thats just 4 off top of my head
I just love that comment when something bad happens to a person who was out drinking they say “they were out “socialising”. Drinking until you can’t stand up.
@Paul Atreides: Not everybody drinks like that.
I certainly won’t be going anywhere near a pub so some greedy landlord can fill his pockets
@Wiggy Wigsters Fitness: i wont be going anywhere near a gym for sure…
And pubs were giving out over closing for good Friday.
I have no interest in queuing for an age to get into a pub, with no atmosphere when you do eventually get in because of vastly reduced numbers. I’d rather wait until we can go for a pint with some sense of normality, whenever that might be.
I wonder if they will increase the price of a pint. Or if they will do the right thing and drop the price.
Phibsborough pubs are a total blatant rip off.
@School4work:
How much a pint of Guinness
Smithwicks
Lager
My town,
€4.20/€4.30 Guinness and Smithwicks
Lager – €4.40/€4.50
@Declan Sweeney:
Heineken averagesa @ €5.50.
Don’t know about Guinness or Smithwicks.
I would say pro rata.
I wonder will the Dáil Bar remain closed ?
“Yesterday, two groups representing publicans called on the government to explain why they cannot open in the same phase as restaurants.”
These groups don’t seem to be familiar with drunk Irish people.
Or slowed
@Spartacus Ireland: ‘Play it by ear’ I guess, and hope it goes away faster than predicted
could be, or maybe not. Real news here.
have your say