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IN A DRAMATIC turn of events today, four Co Down men were jailed for life for their involvement in the May 2017 loyalist feud killing of 35-year-old father-of-two Colin Horner, shot three times by a lone gunman.
Watching them from the side of the dock as they shook hands and gave the thumps-up sign to friends and relatives was his mother Leslie. At one point she made as if to approach the dock, but was ushered away to rejoin her son’s partner Natasha.
The killing of Horner, gunned down in front of his three-year old son Oscar in the Bangor car park of Sainsbury supermarket was linked at the time to the South East Antrim UDA feud which claimed the life two months earlier of his friend, Carrick loyalist Geordie Gilmore.
The four men were about to go on trial at Belfast Crown Court, already delayed for two days, when defence counsel, in thanking Mr Justice Colton for the time given, asked for their clients to be rearraigned, on the murder charge and for possessing the gun used in the Balloo Link Retail Park shooting on 28 May 2017.
As the charges were put to Newtownards men Alan James Wilson (30) of North Green, Joseph Blair (35), of Shackleton Walk, Robert Ralph, (47) of Donaghadee Road, and 31-year-old Bangor man Ryan Graham Smyth of Windsor Gardens, they each pleaded guilty.
Following their pleas, Mr Justice Colton told the men they would be jailed for life, “the only sentence open” to him in the circumstances.
However, he added that next week, when their various roles in the shooting would be detailed to the court, he would also hold a tariff hearing to determine how long they would each serve of their life terms before being considered for release.
A murder charge against a fifth man, 48-year-old Adrian Gordon Price, of Bristol Park, Newtownards, was not proceeded with by the prosecution and “allowed to remain on the books”, after he pleaded guilty to an additional count of withholding information about the murder between June and October 2017.
And a 24-year old Conlig woman Terrie Aicken, from Green Road, pleaded guilty to a similar charge of withholding information in June 2017, after which the more serious charge of perverting public justice “by making a false statement to police” was also allowed to “remain on the books”.
They were later released on continuing bail, while their four co-accused, were remanded into custody.
Victim impact
The heartbroken mother of Colin Horner said today she was relieved that four men who admitted his murder are now behind bars.
Lesley Horner – who attended court with her sisters Angela and Heather, and daughter Sophie, along with Colin’s partner Natasha – said the family can now start to grieve, and to begin to rebuild their lives.
Speaking outside Laganside Court, the north Belfast mum said it had been vital for them to be in court, before adding: “It’s very difficult because Colin – his life is gone, they took his life.
We will never see him again, but justice is done and at least there’s four taken off the street.
When asked how she felt when the four men admitted murdering her son, Lesley Horner said: “There’s no words to describe it. No words, to actually look at them and see that they murdered your child and they’re standing laughing and turning round to their supporters in the dock. It just demolishes you.
“I just hope now that we can maybe try and start grieving for my son properly and try and rebuild some sort of life for me and my children and grandchildren.”
Lesley Horner described her grandson as a “beautiful boy” and said the youngster “is going okay” after witnessing his dad’s murder. She said: ” There is a lot of love and a lot of support. We all look after him and fill his life with colour.”
She will be back in court to see her son’s killers sentenced next Tuesday.
She said: “We had to be here today, we had to see justice for my son. We’re relieved it hasn’t gone on so long … we were expecting a big trial.
I don’t think happy is the right word to use, but we can now maybe start to build some sort of life. I just hope my son is up there looking down, dancing in the sky.
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this is just the latest in a string of these vigilante style videos that have appeared online lately. there’s nobody in the world who would deserve a good beating more than a paedophile, but we can’t just go around attacking people and beating them up, and for what reason, to make ourselves feel better? this does nothing to help the victim of the initial crime, the poor child.
These interventions are becoming common and they do help the intended victim. Paedophilia should be a life threatening condition, it should be dangerous, simple as that.
Mob rule can be crazy, pedos deserve what they get but being innocent and being blamed makes those who do it on innocent people as bad as pedos themselves.
http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2014/jan/20/ipcc-iranian-refugee-murdered-by-vigilante
Men have been beaten to death in mistaken identity and false accusations. I don’t want some murderer in my neighbourhood either
The was a case where a doctors office was attacked when people misunderstood what the “registered paediatrician” sign on the door meant.
There are some right nasty people out there who try to get others to do what they are too weak to and accuse people they do not like of being anything from a rapist to a pedo in order for others to attack that person.
The people who do this should be done for attempted murder, I know what it is like as the last time I was on holidays a 20 something girl accused me of shooting a man in both hands with a shotgun, when I was in Ibiza last and tried to convince English lads that I did that, she was going ape screaming this and my name. Sometimes there are people out there who are just not right in the head and that is frightening.
There was a man in England they said was a pedo and he was killed, the only reason they said he was a pedo was because they hope he would be attacked and have to leave the area as they didn’t want any refugees near them.
http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2013/oct/29/vigilante-murder-paedophile-bristol-bijan-ebrahimi
This always comes to mind reading these stories…
That hood deserves more than that for what he did. The family should be given 15 minutes with him.
That’s it Lloyd. Blame everyone but the paedophile.
Lloyd ah poor him
I see lloyds comments about blaming the families for not protecting the children for what paedophiles do was taken down. He must be dying somewhere with embarrassment.
That’s a horrible video. I’m glad he fell over trying to kick him. What kind of thug punches someone while their victim is sitting in a chair.
Victim ????? Are you having a laugh ??? This ” victim” left a 6 year old innocent girl that he viciously raped so badly damaged she had to wear a bag attached to her colon for life and will not have children and you feel sorry for him ????
Are you sure it was him or it could be someone using that as an excuse to attack an innocent man?
Gwen, I can’t find what that guy Danny Ward did anywhere on the internet so I’ll have to take your word for it. I do believe you.
I think this is strange. I just couldn’t find any reference on the internet that the child was 6 and that she had those horrific injuries. Perhaps these things are deleted after the criminal has served his time or to protect the identity of the child and her family. When did he do this rape? 5, 10, 15, 20 years ago?
The comments on that Facebook page. Jesus.
While I’ve no sympathy for this vile creature I’ve read that these type of people are far more likely to reoffend if they are put under constant pressure. this wannabe hero is only putting more children at risk with this self serving behaviour.
he was assaulted IN Dun Laoighre Cards station?
yeah it was a bum deal
not that he doesn’t deserve a dig but this video says more about the state of security in a modern garda station than anything else.
When the justice system allows rapists and child abusers to walk free you have to expect this. Anybody who attacked my daughter would find it difficult to hide.
News media again having a go at the Gardai
I’d a slit his throat
damn auto correct… Garda station???
This is a perfect example of why the general public shouldnt have access to the sex offender register. I can understand why someone wouldnt want a pedo living in their community, I wouldnt either. Tho you can guarantee that all of us have and we dont know about them. But they have to live somewhere upon their release. As it stands the guards know where they live, but if the local population finds out and runs them out then no one will know where they live, thats when they are most dangerous.
Some of the people on here should look up statistics on megans law in the USA and see how it has been a massive failure overall. It does not help lower offence rates ( they have increased there ) and it does not help the offender integrate into society upon their release which is the best way to stop them from re-offending.
But by all means post your daft hyperbole about how you’d “stab him” etc…….I rather deal with the real world not lala land that most of the posters on this story on other pages ( and some here too ) do.
have your say