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http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/local-national/michaelrsquos-killers-say-sorry-to-his-family-14258050.html
Saturday, 4 April 2009
The sectarian killers of Catholic schoolboy Michael McIlveen are ‘sorry’ and never intended that the 15-year-old should die, a court has heard.
The Ballymena teenager, known as Mickey-Bo, died in hospital on May 8, 2006 from head injuries the day after he was bludgeoned with a baseball bat and beaten by the Protestant youths who’d chased him and a friend.
Yesterday, lawyers for those involved apologised to his family as they made their pleas of mitigation to Mr Justice Treacy who will rule later on the minimum sentence they must serve before being considered for release.
Antrim Crown Court heard that the murder of Michael was a tragedy for all concerned, not least for his mother Gina for whom “neither prayers or words could comfort her for the great loss she had suffered”.
Lawyers have also accepted that the starting point for any minimum term for those already jailed for life, lies between 15 and 16 years. They also argued this figure should be reduced given the ages and remorse of the accused.
They claimed that none of those involved ever intended Michael’s death and the tragic events of that night were fuelled in part by a cocktail of drink and drugs, and may also have sprung from the residue of prejudice and fear that has prevailed for many years.
Mr Justice Treacy said he would pass sentence on the accused “as soon as possible” after reviewing the facts and pleas in what was a complex case.
Those facing sentence for the murder are 20-year-old Mervyn Wilson Moon, from Douglas Terrace, Ballymena, who pleaded guilty, and those convicted following the marathon 52 day trial, 19-year-old Jeff Colin Lewis of Rossdale, 22-year-old Christopher Francis Kerr of Carnduff Drive, Aaron Cavana Wallace (20), of Moat Road, all Ballymena.
Facing jail for the manslaughter is Christopher Andrew McLeister (18) of Knockeen Crescent, Ballymena. Two others from Ballymena, Paul Edward David Henson of Condiere Avenue and Peter Gavin McMullan from Meadowvale, both 18, may also be jailed for criminal damage.
Prosecuting QC John Orr said the aggravating factors in the case included the fact that one of the attackers was armed, and that the teenager was vulnerable and had been deliberately targeted because of his religion. With regard to mitigation, he added, the court could take into account their youth and age and their expressed remorse.
Defence QC Stephen Fowler, for Moon, said he had been “instructed to publicly and unreservedly apologise to the McIlveen family for his conduct”.
While it was Moon who had “nailed” Michael, Mr Fowler said he “never intended the death of Michael McIlveen”.
http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/local-national/loyalist--steven-brown-gets-30-years-for-murders-of-andrew-robb--and-david-mcilwaine-14257130.html
By Lesley-Anne Henry
Friday, 3 April 2009
Sadistic killer Steven Brown was jailed for life today for the horrific double murder of two teenage friends.
The 28-year-old, also known as Steven Revels, was told he would serve a minimum of 30 years over the frenzied knife attack on Andrew Robb (19) and David McIlwaine (18) that shocked Northern Ireland.
The badly-mutilated bodies of the two teenagers were discovered on an isolated country road close to Tandragee, Co Armagh in February 2000.
They were found lying on the blood-spattered road with their throats cut and severe stab wounds to their stomachs.
Brown, from Castle Place, Castlecaulfield, was convicted of the barbaric attack at Belfast Crown Court last month.
Sentencing Brown today Mr Justice Gillen said that the murders were “among the most gruesome of the past 40 years”.
He added: “They represent unbridled mindless violence and a total disregard for the value and dignity of human life.”
The judge went on to say that the killings had brought “unimaginable anguish and grief” for the families of the two victims.
In court today dressed in a beige tracksuit top and white T-shirt, with a shaved head and goatee beard, Brown showed little emotion as legal representatives discussed gruesome details of the brutal killing.
He sat staring straight ahead, at times biting his lip and dropping his head towards the ground.
The public gallery was packed with family members of both victims, Mrs Robb looking particularly drawn.
Along with ‘supergrass’ Mark Burcombe and Noel Dillon, who has since killed himself, the friends had been drinking in Brown’s Tandragee flat when Andrew spoke derogatorily about UVF commander Richard Jameson, who had been gunned down by the LVF two weeks earlier.
Incensed by the comment about his friend, Brown hatched his plan to slaughter the teenagers and after driving them to the isolated Druminure Road just outside the town on the pretence of looking for a drugs party, butchered them with a large knife.
Burcombe, who was once a co-accused of Brown but turned ‘Queen’s evidence’, recounted to the trial how he saw Brown repeatedly drive the knife into David McIlwaine as he lay wheezing and prone on the ground.
Urging the judge to consider age and background as mitigating factors in sentencing, defence barrister John McCrudden QC said: “This is a very damaged young man. It is very rare that one deals with a person whose father was a murderer but whose father murdered his mother.” He also alleged his client had been vulnerable in that he had been under the influence of a “horrific” older man (Dillon) and was drunk.
Judge Gillen said: “Once I accept age as a mitigating factor then that opens up his background. Not only is he a 19-year-old man but he is a 19-year-old man damaged by his parents.”
Mr McCrudden also claimed: “There is no evidence that the killing of Mr McIlwaine was planned. There is no evidence that Mr Brown knew until the very last moment that a murder had been planned by Dillon.
“Dillon was almost two times the age of the accused. We will never know that Mr Brown knew there was a murder intended of Mr Robb until the last moments he then became involved in that murder,” he told the court.
In a website statement posted ahead of the hearing, David McIlwaine’s father Paul said: “We are due back in court this week to hear the tariff set by judge Gillen. We expect a severe and lengthy penalty, so fingers crossed.”
http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/local-national/i-want-to-meet-davidrsquos-killer-says-grieving-dad-14258047.html
By Lesley-Anne Henry
Saturday, 4 April 2009
The heartbroken father of a murdered Co Armagh teenager has asked to meet the man jailed for his son’s killing.
Paul McIlwaine, whose 18-year-old son David was butchered along with Andrew Robb (19) in February 2000, said he wants to “sit down” and talk with the man behind one of Northern Ireland’s most heinous crimes.
Speaking outside Belfast Crown Court yesterday, where Steven Brown (also known as Steven Revels) was handed a 30-year jail term for the sadistic double murder, Mr McIlwaine also called for Brown to reveal the identities of others he believes were involved.
“Steven Revels means nothing to me. I have no ill feeling towards him, I don’t wish him any harm. I have requested to visit to him in prison,” Mr McIlwaine said.
“I want him to sit down, if he is willing, and talk to me about the involvement of everybody else — he’s only a pebble in the ocean.
“Police are saying that all those responsible for these crimes have been brought to account, but that’s nonsense.”
He has also hit out at the original police investigation and said he would be calling for a “full public inquiry into the handling” of his son’s case.
Mr McIlwaine, whose devastated wife Gail was also in court to hear the sentencing, said his family had been destroyed by the brutal killing.
“He has taken our lives,” he said.
“We’ll take today and have a good cry. I don’t show I am bursting, my head is ready to explode. It’s a disgrace what we’ve been put through over the years.”
The badly-mutilated bodies of David McIlwaine and Andrew Robb were found dumped on a lonely road near Tandragee. Their injuries were so horrific that Mr Justice Gillen ranked their deaths among the “most gruesome of the past 40 years”.
Brown, who was 19 when he committed the offences, has never shown any remorse.
While he believed the sentence seemed “lenient” at first, Mr McIlwaine said on reflection he thinks Brown “got exactly what he deserves”.
He said Brown’s arrogance proved to be his downfall.
“He’s coming 29 or 30 years of age. He will be mid to late 50s when he’s due for parole and even then there will be a two or three-year process, so he could be 60. If I am still about I’ll be there to block that — this man should never see the light of day.
“If he’d pleaded guilty when he was charged in 2000 he’d be half way through, but he was so brash and arrogant, totally without remorse, barbaric, sadistic. It was one of the worst crimes ever and is only likened to the Shankill butchers,” he said.
Meanwhile, Andrew Robb’s distraught mother Anne said she believed justice had been served.
“I think yes, it has been done, but I think he should have got the full life tariff,” she said.
Mrs Robb, who underwent an operation on Thursday but felt compelled to attend yesterday’s hearing, said she could never forgive her son’s killer.
‘Among the most gruesome murders of the past 40 years’
Sadistic killer Steven Brown was today beginning a 30-year jail term for the horrific double murder of two teenage friends.
The 28-year-old loyalist, also known as Steven Revels, was handed the life sentence yesterday over the frenzied knife attack on Andrew Robb (19) and David McIlwaine (18) that shocked Northern Ireland.
The badly-mutilated bodies of the two teenagers were discovered on an isolated country road close to Tandragee, Co Armagh , in February 2000.
They were found lying on the blood-spattered road with their throats cut and severe stab wounds to their stomachs.
Brown, from Castle Place, Castlecaulfield, was convicted of the barbaric attack at Belfast Crown Court last month. Sentencing Brown yesterday, Mr Justice Gillen ranked the killings “among the most gruesome of the past 40 years”.
He said: “These crimes were so horrendous that they offer no insight into human nature or the recurring pattern of human behaviour. Civilised reason can furnish no explanation for them.”
The judge went on to say that the killings had brought “unimaginable anguish and grief” for the families of the two victims.
“Understandably the public would react with a sense of righteous fury if I did not punish you severely for these murders,” he added.
In the dock yesterday, dressed in a beige tracksuit top and white T-shirt, with a shaved head and goatee beard, Brown, who has never expressed any remorse for the killings, showed little emotion as legal representatives discussed gruesome details. He sat staring straight ahead, at times biting his lip.
The public gallery was packed and family members of both victims wept as the sentence was passed.
Along with ‘supergrass’ Mark Burcombe and Noel Dillon, who has since killed himself, the friends had been drinking in Brown’s Tandragee flat when Andrew spoke derogatorily about UVF commander Richard Jameson, who had been gunned down by the LVF two weeks earlier.
Incensed by the comment, Brown hatched his plan to slaughter the teenagers and after driving them to the Druminure Road, just outside the town, butchered them.
Defence barrister John McCrudden QC urged the judge to consider Brown’s age and background as mitigating factors.
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2009/0404/1224244010403.html
DAN KEENAN, Northern News Editor
Sat, Apr 04, 2009
IAN PAISLEY jnr has until April 20th to reveal to the name of a senior prison officer who supplied him with evidence relevant to the Billy Wright inquiry, the High Court in Belfast has ruled.
Mr Justice Gillen gave the North Antrim Assembly member and former junior minister 17 days to comply with a notice from Lord MacLean, chairman of the inquiry which is examining the INLA murder of loyalist leader Billy Wright in the Maze prison in December 1997.
Mr Paisley says he will continue to protect his source and is prepared for jail if necessary.
In June 2007, Mr Paisley was given evidence by an unnamed constituent and senior member of the prison service of systematic destruction of files deemed to be of use to the inquiry.
This evidence, which refers to the destruction of some 5,600 documents shortly after Wright’s killing, was then passed to David Wright, father of the murdered Loyalist Volunteer Force leader.
Mr Paisley, citing his responsibility as a public representative has refused to identify his source, to the displeasure of the inquiry which referred the case to the High Court.
Mr Paisley insisted again yesterday he would not break his word to his constituent and is prepared to face any legal consequences, including prison.
Mr Justice Gillen said in his ruling: “The matter certified by the chairman [of the Billy Wright inquiry] is a proportionate response to the needs of the inquiry and to the interests of justice.
“I consider than an order made by me to enforce the matter certified is measured and justified when set against the weight of the freedom of expression which must be accorded to public representatives.”
After the ruling was delivered, Mr Paisley responded: “I have already made my view clear to the court that I cannot and will not reveal the identity of my source and, therefore, I am faced ultimately with the threat of a contempt hearing and punishment of imprisonment.
“I do not believe that public interests are served either for constituents or indeed the Billy Wright tribunal by jailing me over this matter. I think the public would be rightly outraged at such an occurrence.”
Mr Paisley’s solicitor told The Irish Times the Assembly member would consider his position over the weekend with the help of his advisers.
He believes Assembly members, like journalists, clergy and medical professionals, should have a right to a measure of confidentiality with clients.
Mr Paisley has the support of his DUP colleagues who have already voted for an Assembly motion backing his stance.
During the High Court application, First Minister and DUP leader Peter Robinson appeared in the witness box to support him.
However, Mr Justice Gillen ordered Mr Paisley to provide the inquiry with the prison officer’s name and other information in a written statement to Lord MacLean.
© 2009 The Irish Times
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/uk_news/northern_ireland/7984116.stm
Peter Robinson has praised loyalist paramilitary leaders for not allowing their organisations to become engaged in tit-for-tat violence.
This was response to recent dissident republican violence which saw two soldiers and a policeman murdered in Antrim and Craigavon.
The first minister has been holding talks with loyalist leaders.
He said they had acted wisely, however, he also urged them to make progress on decommissioning their weapons.
"I think people should be encouraged by the very mature reaction of whose who are in the leadership of the loyalist paramilitary organisations in not falling into this trap, and in giving that leadership to those over whom they have influence," said Mr Robinson.
"All I can do is encourage people who are involved in paramilitary organisations that now is the time to close down those operations, now is the time for weapons to be decommissioned."
Mr Robinson was speaking to Radio Ulster's Inside Politics programme, which is now broadcast at the new time of 1305 BST on Sunday.
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/uk_news/northern_ireland/7984116.stm
Published: 2009/04/05 08:17:21 GMT
© BBC MMIX
http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/local-national/dissident-killings-spark-surge-in-psni-applications-14256208.html
Friday, 3 April 2009
The murder of three security force members in Northern Ireland has been met with a surge in applications from people wanting to join the police, the Chief Constable has said.
Sir Hugh Orde said more than 8,500 people have applied for just 440 advertised posts in the PSNI since the killings of two British soldiers and a police constable last month.
The Chief Constable said that, while the dissident republican killers responsible may have hoped to scare people away from signing up, particularly those from the Catholic community, their actions have actually had the opposite effect.
He told members of the Northern Ireland Policing Board that he expected the number of applications to hit 9,000 before the recruitment period closed later this month.
“The clear evidence is we’re getting more people applying to join us,” he said at the monthly meeting in Belfast,” he said.
“Over 8,500 to date and there’s a little time to go so I would confidently predict that over 9,000 people from all ages, from all parts of the community in Northern Ireland, want to join policing and contribute in a very positive way to the fabric of Northern Ireland.”
The applications process opened on Thursday March 5 — only two days before Sappers Mark Quinsey (23) from Birmingham, and Patrick Azimkar (21) from London, were gunned down outside the Massereene Army barracks in Antrim as they walked outside the gates to collect pizzas from delivery men.
Two days later, PC Stephen Carroll (48) was shot dead in Craigavon, Co Armagh.
Sir Hugh said the upturn in applications showed very clearly that the dissidents’ efforts to drag Northern Ireland backwards would not succeed.
“Most people apply online and most of the applications are post those particular crimes,” Sir Hugh explained.
“So people aren’t put off — that’s the message, and I think it’s a very powerful message.”
During the meeting at the board's headquarters, Sir Hugh told members he was still awaiting the outcome of a £66m funding bid to the government to help his officers tackle the increased dissident threat.
He said Northern Ireland Secretary Shaun Woodward would make the case for the extra cash to the Prime Minister and Chancellor next week.
--
The Chief Constable has dismissed claims that dissident republicans could mobilise large numbers of supporters. Commenting on the spate of hijackings and security alerts which brought rush hour chaos to parts of Northern Ireland on Monday, Sir Hugh said there was no support for the actions.
He said while there were 35 reported incidents, only four appeared to be linked, with the rest copy cat acts.“I think again the clear message is there was no support for this,” he said.
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2009/0405/breaking19.htm
Last Updated: Sunday, April 5, 2009, 12:32
The Catholic primate, Cardinal Seán Brady, has issued an appeal for information that could lead to the discovery of bodies of the so-called Disappeared.
Dr Seán Brady, the Archbishop of Armagh, called on anyone with such information to pass it on to the Independent Commission for the Location of Victims’ Remains.
“I hope that those who have even the tiniest item of information will have the courage to pass it on and so, perhaps, help to ease the pain of the families who have suffered so much for so long,” he said.
Dr Brady will celebrate the annual mass of remembrance for the Disappeared today in Saint Patrick’s Cathedral, Armagh, at 3pm.
Last week, scientific experts working with the Commission for the Location of Victims’ Remains have begun to examine a site in Co Meath where the IRA is believed to have buried two of the Disappeared.
The bodies of fifteen Catholics killed by republicans during the Troubles were buried in secret locations. A number of these have since been found.
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/opinion/2009/0402/1224243863021.html
Thu, Apr 02, 2009
IT IS difficult – and sometimes dangerous – for a politician in Northern Ireland to provide the kind of leadership that circumstances demand. But that is what the leader of the Democratic Unionist Party, Peter Robinson, should do by agreeing an early devolution of policing and justice powers to the Northern Executive. Such courageous action would help to cement the political accommodations that have been so painstakingly reached, while isolating dissident republicans and loyalist paramilitaries. Progress may be delayed, however, because of the June European elections.
This is an extremely dangerous time for Northern Ireland. Two young soldiers and a police officer have been shot dead by dissident republicans and innocent bystanders wounded within the past month. A calculated campaign aimed at disrupting social life through bomb scares and the hijacking and burning of vehicles by armed men has subsequently been used to ratchet up tensions. The possibility exists that these activities may provoke loyalist paramilitaries into some form of retaliation. In such fraught circumstances, the leaders of all political parties have a responsibility to pull together.
Northern Secretary Shaun Woodward has urged a review committee at Stormont to meet this challenge by completing the devolution of policing and justice powers. In doing so, he echoed a recommendation made by the Independent Monitoring Commission, which argued that such action would help to bring about the integration of law enforcement and other public services and help to detach the extremist fringes in both communities. In the same context, former police ombudsman Nuala O’Loan had warned that unless politicians and community activists worked together, the peace process could begin to unravel.
The recent murders and outbreaks of violence have stirred fears of a return to the bloody mayhem of the past. But First Minister Peter Robinson and Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness have stood together to condemn those responsible and to reassure both communities that the way forward is through peace and co-operation. Their measured statements, along with high profile visits to the US and to Brussels, have helped to forge a positive public image. That perception stands in stark contrast to the bad-tempered episode that paralysed the workings of the Executive for five months last year.
Difficulties remain. A bitter distrust of Sinn Féin survives within the unionist community that could be harnessed at election time. That is why the DUP is reluctant to reach an accommodation until the autumn. Adequate funding for the new department of justice, the police and judiciary is also a matter of concern. And while an informal arrangement would have the ministerial position go to Alliance, rather than to the DUP or Sinn Féin, this deal has been challenged by the SDLP. All of these issues can be resolved quickly, given political goodwill. But postponing decisions for months because of a pending election represents a dreadful risk in present circumstances. Mr Robinson should harden his resolve and move forward.
© 2009 The Irish Times
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2009/0404/1224244010139.html
Saturday, April 4, 2009
STEVEN CARROLL
THE NUMBER of North American visitors to Ireland could fall by up to 15 per cent this year because of the global economic crisis, Tourism Ireland has said.
A 7 per cent increase in the strength of the euro against the dollar since November and the continued deterioration in the outlook for the US economy could lead to 150,000 fewer trips by North Americans to Ireland.
“On the basis of current US economic sentiment, we are revising our visitor forecast to decline of up to 15 per cent, which would see 850,000 North American visitors in 2009,” Tourism Ireland said in its outlook for the year.
About one million people travelled to Ireland from North America last year.
Tourism Ireland, which promotes the island of Ireland overseas, believes visitors to the country overall this year could fall by up to 9 per cent, following a 3 per cent reduction last year.
It is predicting a 9 per cent reduction could lead to revenue in the industry, which employs 300,000 people in Ireland, falling by 15 per cent.
It is forecast that visits to Ireland by some 8.8 million tourists generated some €4.2 billion last year. “In the current worst-case scenario we expect at least eight million visitors, spending €3.6 billion in 2009,” the outlook states.
Mark Henry of Tourism Ireland said the figures represent “a worst possible scenario” for the industry and he is hopeful that some tourists were simply booking their holidays a little later this year.
“If there is one thing people are telling us about 2009, it is that people are booking holidays later and later,” he said. “People are unsure about their jobs, their banks and the future ahead. Spring and summer breaks are being booked later which makes us unsure as to how the year will turn out.”
Mr Henry said Irish tourism was responding to the challenging climate well and that hotels, for example, have dropped their prices considerably to attract business. He added that markets appear to be responding well to marketing campaigns launched by Tourism Ireland.
“The airlines and ferries are filling their places, although with lower prices, and more people are calling and visiting our websites. We are optimistic this will translate into more people coming.
“The Government recognises that the more tourism you generate, the more income you bring into the economy,” he said.
http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/local-national/liam-neeson-and-me-by-a-former-uvf-man-14256246.html
Friday, 3 April 2009
Five Minutes Of Heaven, a powerful Troubles drama starring Liam Neeson and James Nesbitt, is on TV this Sunday. Here, former UVF prisoner Alastair Little tells of his meeting with Neeson, who plays him in the movie — and his shock at the death of the star’s wife
Like everyone I was saddened by the news of the death of Natasha Richardson, the wife of Liam Neeson, not least because I'd actually got to meet the man recently.
Admittedly, you wouldn't expect someone like me, a former UVF prisoner who had served 12 years for killing a young Catholic man, to be rubbing shoulders with the likes of a Hollywood superstar.
But, in fact, it was precisely that event which brought us together.
For Liam plays me in the film, Five Minutes Of Heaven, which will be shown on BBC2 this Sunday night. The movie’s other star, James Nesbitt, plays Joe, the brother of the man I killed.
I think it’s a very powerful piece of drama about the human cost of the Troubles — and about the impact of one specific act.
And I also think Liam Neeson is one of the most genuine and warm people I have met, and my heart goes out to him as he copes with the loss of his wife and the prospect of bringing up their two young sons without their mother.
Five Minutes Of Heaven didn’t happen overnight, instead was a three-year process that began in 2006.
Back then, Owen Callagan, a programme maker, and Guy Hibbert, a writer, had asked if I would be prepared to take part in a programme looking at conflict and the journey from violence to non-violence.
I suppose they contacted me because I’d been one of the few ex-prisoners who’d been prepared to speak out about how I had shot a man, and the impact of that event on others — and myself — down through the years
Thus began a three-year process which involved them working between myself and Joe.
It was during one of the days of filming that I first met Liam.
I had no expectation that we would meet. But apparently just as I was thinking of leaving the set he asked someone: “Where is Alastair?”
Next thing he was walking towards me ready for a chat.
“Well Alistair, I am pleased to meet you,” he began, and we went on to talk about growing up in Northern Ireland.
He talked about his childhood and teenage years in Ballymena, and about how he did some boxing around the Lurgan area, which is the town that I am from.
Even though he’s a movie star and used to working with the rich and famous he showed great interest in my work in the field of reconciliation.
We got on to talking about the situation between Israel and Palestine.
“What a mess it's in!” he said, and I told him about the Combatants for Peace group, which is made up of former Israeli soldiers and Palestinian fighters who are working together to end the violence.
“Why don't we hear more about those kind of people?” Liam wondered.
Like James Nesbitt, Liam was welcoming and pleasant.
And I honestly felt that he wanted to be there to talk with me, that he wasn't just dong this as part of his job.
I also felt reassured by the seriousness with which they all were taking the film.
When it was time to go Liam gave me a strong handshake. “Keep up the good work,” he told me.
Of course, it was a brief meeting, but I can say that I found Liam to be very genuine, warm and reassuringly down to earth.
It just seems so unfair that such an awful tragedy should happen to such a decent person.
The work on the film started around the same time that I began working with Ruth Scott, an Anglican priest from London, on a book ‘Give a Boy a Gun’, which has just been published.
Though it centres on my own particular story, essentially this isn’t a book about Northern Ireland.
Instead it shares much in common with the stories of young men caught up in stories of conflict across the world.
And my purpose in sharing my story isn't to help people understand the conflict here in greater depth, but to shed light on what turns an ordinary boy growing up in a loving family into a man of violence, and then what helps him turn his back on bloodshed.
My personal experience may be extreme, but there are common roots to the responses that shaped my story and those that are part of daily life for any human being.
Many people assume that violent men are the product of broken or inadequate families. Some are, but it's far from the whole picture, particularly in places where conflict is communal rather than individual.
In this book I’ve tried to be as truthful as possible in exploring what moved me to kill, and the long and painful journey through years in prison and reintegration in the outside world, to eventually working internationally with the victims/survivors and perpetrators of political conflict.
I’ve tried to be clear about the complexity of factors that determined my path for good and ill.
Inevitably home is my point of departure. Had I been born in any other part of the United Kingdom instead of Northern Ireland my story would not be different from that of millions of men who are born, live and die unknown to any but their immediate family and community connections.
But I was born in Lurgan in Northern Ireland.
Like many people at that time I began my teenage years surrounded by violence in my community — shootings and bombings featured almost as a daily occurrence in my area.
At 17 I killed a man. Too young to receive a life sentence, I served 12 years of an indeterminate sentence in Long Kesh and the H Blocks.
During that time I began the slow and painful journey away from violent conflict. This involved reflecting on my actions and their consequences and exploring the complexities of factors which had shaped my path, such as why I chose the way of violence when others in my community did not? What causes one traumatised young person to take up arms and another to walk away from the use of violence?
Also the wider issues, such as how do we tackle the legacy of the conflict as a society so that we do not run the risk of violence erupting again?
Mine is still an unfolding story. I hope in reading it — and in watching Five Minutes Of Heaven this weekend, some people will find it sheds light not only on their own experiences, but on the stories of other people and other situations close to them and far from home.
Give a Boy a Gun: From Killing to Peace-Making by Alistair Little, is published by DLT — Darton, Longman and Todd. Five Minutes Of Heaven is on BBC2 on Sunday at 9.40pm
Updated: 10/4/2009
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