NEWS

Suspended jail term for 71-year-old woman who was more than twice drink drive limit when she crashed her car through a shop window in Ballymena injuring customer A 71-YEAR-OLD woman who was more than twice the drink drive limit when she crashed her car through the window of the Grove Road Spar shop in Ballymena, injuring a customer, has received a suspended jail sentence, reports Court News NI . Marion Connolly, of Carnwood Hall, Ballymena, was at the town's Magistrates' Cour

A Ballymena man has been handed a prison sentence for his role in the large-scale, race-motivated disorder that brought significant disruption and fear to the town in June this year. At Antrim Crown Court today, Tuesday 9 December, Jordan Benjamin McAuley was sentenced to two years and eight months’ imprisonment after being convicted of riot. Half of the term will be served in custody, with the remainder on licence. McAuley, from Ballymena, also received a three-month custodi

38-year-old Thomas Scott The Police Service of Northern Ireland has acknowledged the sentencing of 38-year-old Thomas Scott, from Belfast, who has been jailed for a series of violent domestic abuse offences described as “terrifying” by investigating officers. Scott appeared at Belfast Crown Court on Thursday 4 December, where he received a three-year and four-month sentence, with half to be served on licence, for non-fatal strangulation aggravated by domestic abuse and assaul

Emma Rose Duffy has experience volunteering with the NSPCC Young Witness Service and obtained a master’s degree in Children’s Rights, before qualifying as a solicitor in 2019. Working with the Children’s Law Centre, she promoted the rights of young people in the legal system, with a particular focus on mental health, prior to taking up the CSOLA role. A new series of awareness-raising videos has been launched by the Department of Justice to highlight a free legal advisory ser

Belfast City Hall Unionist councillors are to take Belfast City Council to the High Court after a dramatic late-night vote approved flying the Palestinian flag over City Hall from midnight, triggering one of the most contentious political rows at City Hall in recent years. In a tense special meeting on Monday (1 December), councillors voted 32 to 28 to erect the flag for 24 hours from 12am on Tuesday – a decision made after weeks of legal wrangling, a successful Unionist call

North Antrim MLA Jon Burrows North Antrim MLA Jon Burrows has appealed for calm following the Public Prosecution Service’s decision to withdraw attempted rape charges against two teenage boys in relation to a reported sexual assault in Ballymena earlier this year. The charges, stemming from allegations reported on 7th June 2025, were formally withdrawn at Laganside Youth Court on Friday, 28 November, after what the PPS described as “significant evidential developments”. Both

The Public Prosecution Service (PPS) has formally withdrawn attempted rape charges brought against two juvenile boys in connection with a reported sexual assault in Ballymena earlier this year. The charges, which related to an alleged incident on Saturday 7th June 2025, were withdrawn at Laganside Youth Court on Friday, 28 November. Both the PPS and senior detectives from the Police Service of Northern Ireland’s (PSNI) Public Protection Branch met with the complainant and her

Sentenced: Harvey Shaw (20) A 20-year-old man has been handed a prison sentence for his involvement in large-scale disorder in Ballymena earlier this year. Harvey Shaw, also known as Harvey John Lee Shaw, was sentenced at Antrim Crown Court on Monday 24 November to 24 months in custody after being convicted of Riot. Shaw, from Ballymena, was arrested for his role in the sustained “race-motivated disorder” that took place in the town on Tuesday 10 June 2025. Police described

TUV MP Jim Allister has sharply criticised a recent Supreme Court judgment on Religious Education (RE) in Northern Ireland, describing the ruling as a threat to the long-established Christian ethos within the region’s school system. In a strongly worded statement, Mr Allister said he was “deeply disturbed” by aspects of the judgment, particularly the court’s reference to the potential for “indoctrination” within current RE provision. “As someone who has consistently defended

A County Antrim engineering company has been fined £10,000 after a worker suffered severe foot injuries during an unsafe lifting operation at its Coleraine premises. Maine Surface Finishing Ltd was sentenced today at Laganside Crown Court, Belfast, after earlier pleading guilty to a single health and safety offence following an investigation by the Health and Safety Executive for Northern Ireland (HSENI). The court heard that the incident took place on 29 August 2023, when an

Jake Quigley A 21-year-old man from Ballymena has been jailed for his role in a violent, race-motivated disturbance that took place in the town’s Clonavon area earlier this year. Jake Quigley was sentenced at Antrim Crown Court today, Wednesday 12th November, for his involvement in the large-scale disorder on 9th June. He received a two-year custodial sentence, followed by two years on licence. The incident, described by police as “shameful scenes” , saw significant damage ca

The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) has confirmed that 100 people have now been arrested as part of its ongoing investigation into the serious disorder that unfolded in Ballymena during the summer. To date, 91 individuals have been charged with offences including riot, arson with intent to endanger life, and burglary with intent to cause arson. All of these cases are currently being prosecuted before the courts. Photographs of 60 potential suspects were previously i

A 54-year-old woman from east Belfast has been jailed for five months after fraudulently claiming she would donate a kidney to a man in desperate need of a transplant. Nicola Hutton was sentenced at Belfast Magistrates’ Court on Thursday, 6 November, having previously been convicted of a false communication offence. The case centred on Hutton’s deceitful contact with William “Billy” Cullen from Newtownabbey, who had been suffering from Polycystic Kidney Disease for around ten

A County Antrim man who attempted to smuggle cannabis worth £64,000 into Northern Ireland concealed inside a makeshift workbench has been sentenced following an investigation by the National Crime Agency (NCA). William Stewart, 46, living in Crumlin, was stopped by Border Force officers when he arrived in Belfast from Aldershot in October 2024. He had travelled by ferry in his transit van. During a search of the vehicle, a sniffer dog indicated the presence of drugs. Officers

Convicted: Cathan Quinn A man from Magherafelt has been sentenced to two years and two months for the online blackmail of two female victims involving intimate images. Twenty-nine-year-old Cathan Quinn appeared before Dungannon Crown Court on Monday, 4 November, where he was told he will serve half his sentence in custody and half on licence. He has also been made subject to a five-year restraining order for each victim. Detective Inspector Ryan said: “In early 2021, Cathan

Emergency Services at the scene of the incident at Glarryford, outside Ballymena A COURT heard it was a "miracle" nobody was killed after a van driver's careless driving ended up with a lorry crashing down an embankment onto the A26 dual-carriageway at Glarryford near Ballymena. The van driver - Patrick Fitzpatrick (56), from the Dunloy area -  pleaded guilty to driving without due care and attention at Station Road, Glarryford, around 5.45pm on March 20 this year. Footage o

Max with new owner Molly Piper A landmark case involving a Dundonald dog identified as a Pit Bull type has cost Lisburn and Castlereagh City Council (LCCC) more than £53,000. The council this week released a detailed report following a court verdict earlier this month which confirmed that Max — the dog at the centre of the dispute — was a banned breed under UK law. The case has created what LCCC described as a “precedent” for councils across Northern Ireland, establishing tha

Wanted: Ray Lee Police have issued appeals to help trace three men who are co-defendants in the same case and have all previously pleaded guilty to fraud-related offences. Raymond (Ray) Lee, Elijah Lee, and Mark Millar are all awaiting sentencing in connection with a series of courier frauds committed between 2020 and 2021. Ray Lee – failed to return from compassionate leave Police are appealing for information to help locate 32-year-old Raymond (Ray) Lee, who is in breach of

A Glenavy man has been sentenced to five months in prison after being found guilty of breaching a court-ordered ban on keeping animals. James Steele (55), of Gobrana Road, Glenavy, Crumlin, appeared before Lisburn Court where he was handed a five-month custodial sentence and ordered to pay a £25 offender levy for one charge under the Welfare of Animals Act (Northern Ireland) 2011. The Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) confirmed that the case aro

A 56-year-old US citizen who conned Northern Ireland clients out of around £135,000 while working as a mortgage advisor has been jailed for four years. Marianne Smyth was sentenced today (Friday 17 October) at Downpatrick Crown Court after being found guilty of three counts of fraud by abuse of position and three counts of theft following a four-day trial last month. The offences date back to when Smyth was working as a mortgage advisor in Northern Ireland between 2005 and 20