McCartney sisters tell court of meetings with IRA

A leading republican allegedly told the sisters of murdered Belfast man Robert McCartney he would like to see the killers “get a bullet in the head”, a court heard today.

The victim’s family were also informed that an internal IRA inquiry established the knife used in the stabbing had been ground down, it was claimed. Details of alleged meetings between the McCartney sisters and representatives of the organisation’s army council were disclosed as two men were returned for trial on paramilitary-related charges.

Padraic Wilson (54) and Seán Gerard Hughes (52), both face counts of belonging to a proscribed organisation and addressing a meeting to encourage support for the IRA. Mr McCartney (33) was stabbed and beaten to death outside Magennis’s bar in Belfast city centre in January 2005.

His five sisters and his partner, Bridgeen Hagans, waged a worldwide campaign to bring his killers to justice. Mr Wilson, of Hamill Park, Andersonstown in the west of the city, and Mr Hughes, from Aghavadoyle Road in Jonesborough, south Armagh, are not accused of any involvement in events surrounding the murder itself or a subsequent clear-up operation.

But as the pair appeared before Belfast Magistrates’ Court yesterday to establish if they have a case to answer on the charges against them it was alleged that they met the McCartneys twice, in February and March 2005.

Two of the sisters gave evidence that a first meeting at Clonard Monastery in the west of the city lasted for up to five hours. A second, shorter encounter allegedly took place at the Holy Cross Church in Ardoyne. They claimed a high-profile Sinn Féin politician was involved in arranging for them to first meet with the IRA.

One of the sisters, Paula Arnold, said a priest at Clonard informed them they were meeting in the same room as the party’s president Gerry Adams had held talks with former SDLP leader John Hume.

She told the court two men entered, introduced themselves as Padraic and Seán, said they were sorry for what had happened to their brother and were carrying out an internal inquiry on behalf of the IRA.

Suspect

According to Ms Arnold the pair set out their findings about the events surrounding the murder. One man had obtained a knife from the kitchen in Magennis’s, wrapped it in a towel and passed it to a second man who then “used it” before returning it to the first man for disposal, the court heard. The sisters were allegedly told that as the meeting was taking place a suspect was being interrogated under house arrest.

“I did ask could the knife not be handed over to police and they informed us the knife had been ground down,” Ms Arnold said. “It’s no longer possible to be evidence.”

District judge Paul Copeland then ruled that a prima facie case to answer was established against both Mr Wilson and Mr Hughes. He ordered them to be returned on bail for Crown Court trial on a date to be fixed. Both men were released on continuing bail.