NEWS

Justice Minister Naomi Long is pictured with Kelly Andrews, Belfast and Lisburn Women’s Aid, Michelle Martin, AssistNI, and Rhonda Lusty – Men’s Advisory Project, at an event to mark five years of ASSIST NI, recognising the important role of advocacy in supporting victims of domestic and sexual abuse across Northern Ireland. Thursday 24 September 2026 Victims of domestic and sexual abuse across Northern Ireland are being helped to navigate the criminal justice system with de

Convicted murderer who was at large, now behind bars: Gary Anderson Wednesday 23 September 2026 Convicted murderer Gary Anderson has been arrested in County Donegal after being unlawfully at large for more than a week, the Police Service of Northern Ireland has confirmed. The 29-year-old was arrested by An Garda Síochána at a property in the Buncrana area shortly before 2pm today, Wednesday 23 September. Anderson had been unlawfully at large since Monday 14 September after ab

Northern Ireland Justice Minister Naomi Long, and (inset) North Antrim MLA Paul Frew Tuesday 22 September 2026 North Antrim DUP MLA Paul Frew has challenged Justice Minister Naomi Long over how she came to give the Assembly information that was later found to be incomplete about the temporary release of convicted murderer Gary Anderson, who remains unlawfully at large. Mr Frew, who chairs Stormont’s Justice Committee, questioned whether information supplied to the Minister ha

On the run, convicted murderer Gary Anderson Saturday 19 September 2026 Justice Minister Naomi Long has ordered an urgent investigation into the handling of convicted murderer Gary Anderson’s temporary release, after a High Court judgment exposed incorrect risk information and recorded that an opportunity to reconsider the refusal of release had been declined. Anderson, who was convicted of murdering Karol Kelly, subsequently absconded. The case has prompted Ulster Unionist P

Northern Ireland’s trials of the facts procedure is to undergo an independent review following concerns about how the justice system serves victims when an accused person is found unfit to stand trial. Justice Minister Naomi Long and Health Minister Robbie Butler have agreed to commission the joint review, according to a statement from Ulster Unionist Party leader Jon Burrows MLA. The party said a joint letter from the ministers confirmed that an independent external reviewer

Wednesday 16 September 2026 Young men and boys across Northern Ireland are being urged to challenge misogyny in group chats, gaming platforms and social media as new figures show increases in reports of online stalking, harassment, blackmail and intimate image abuse. Between 1 April 2025 and 31 March 2026, police recorded 1,971 reports of online stalking and harassment — a 12% increase on the previous year — alongside 591 reports of online blackmail, up 11%, and 110 reports i

Ulster Unionist Party Leader Jon Burrows is pressing Justice Minister Naomi Long for answers over the release of at large prisoner Gary Anderson (centre) Police are continuing to seek convicted murderer Gary Anderson as political pressure grows for a full explanation of how he came to be temporarily released from prison despite the Prison Service having initially decided he was unsuitable for compassionate temporary release. Ulster Unionist Party leader Jon Burrows MLA has de

Ulster Unionist Party Leader and North Antrim MLA Jon Burrows The sentence imposed on a former dementia care worker convicted of abusing vulnerable patients cannot be referred to the Court of Appeal for review under current Northern Ireland law, the Public Prosecution Service (PPS) has confirmed. The update has prompted Ulster Unionist Party Leader and North Antrim MLA Jon Burrows to call for changes to sentencing laws and the powers available to the Director of Public Prosec

Inset: Ulster Unionist Party leader Jon Burrows MLA The leader of the Ulster Unionist Party has called for the sentence handed to a former healthcare assistant who secretly filmed and mocked vulnerable dementia patients to be reviewed, arguing it may be unduly lenient. Jon Burrows MLA said he has written to the Director of Public Prosecutions asking that the sentence imposed on Ciara Corvan be considered under Northern Ireland’s Unduly Lenient Sentence Mechanism, which allows

Justice Minister Naomi Long with the Annual Report and Threat Assessment for the Organised Crime Task Force 2024/25 Northern Ireland’s organised crime groups were hit by more than £26.5 million worth of drug seizures over the past year, while 651 potential victims of modern slavery and human trafficking were identified, according to the latest annual assessment of serious organised crime. The figures are contained in the Organised Crime Task Force (OCTF) Annual Report for 202

The scene of the tragic incident in Ballymena on Monday. (Image: Steven McAuley, McAuley Multimedia) Political leaders have expressed their shock and sympathy following confirmation that the deaths of three members of the same family in Ballymena are being treated by police as a suspected double murder followed by a sudden death. Police confirmed on Tuesday that the victims were a 41-year-old man, a 39-year-old woman and an eight-year-old girl who were found dead at a house i

Inset: Justice Minister Naomi Long Justice Minister Naomi Long has made an explicit appeal for an end to effigies and symbols of hatred being placed on bonfires ahead of the Twelfth celebrations. The Minister said such displays cause “deep, unnecessary hurt”, widen divisions and distract from cultural events intended to be peaceful and family-orientated. Her intervention comes as communities across Northern Ireland prepare for bonfires, parades and other events over the bank

Ulster Unionist Party leader Jon Burrows MLA has launched a sharp criticism of new PSNI search guidance issued by the Department of Justice, claiming it leaves frontline officers facing uncertainty in some of the most sensitive situations they encounter. The North Antrim MLA said the interim arrangements, introduced following the recent Supreme Court ruling on the legal definition of sex, place too much responsibility on individual officers rather than providing clear operati

Inset: North Antrim TUV MLA Timothy Gaston A fresh court ruling in Scotland on the accommodation of transgender prisoners has been welcomed by TUV MLA Timothy Gaston, who says it reinforces the case for a proposed change to Northern Ireland law currently before the Assembly. Mr Gaston was responding after Lady Ross, sitting in Scotland’s Court of Session, ruled that guidance issued by the Scottish Prison Service allowing transgender prisoners to be accommodated in prisons of

Ballymena LNPT Inspector Jock McToal For more than two decades, Inspector Jock McToal has been a familiar and trusted figure across Ballymena and the wider district. Now, his dedication to community policing has been recognised at the highest level after being awarded the King’s Police Medal (KPM) in the King’s Birthday Honours List 2026. The honour places the Ballymena Local Neighbourhood Policing Team (LNPT) inspector among a select group of police officers and staff recogn

Northern Ireland Fire & Rescue Service faced an intense night of emergency callouts on Tuesday as crews responded to dozens of incidents linked to escalating disorder across the Greater Belfast area, with additional appliances drafted in from across Northern Ireland to cope with demand. In an operational update issued shortly after midnight, NIFRS revealed its Regional Control Centre handled 256 calls between 7pm and midnight alone, resulting in attendance at 62 separate inci

Northern Ireland Justice Minister Naomi Long The Department of Justice has pulled its controversial consultation on firearms licensing fees following mounting opposition from rural and sporting communities across Northern Ireland, in a move being welcomed as a significant climbdown by critics of the proposals. The consultation had proposed changes aimed at achieving full cost recovery for firearms licensing, potentially increasing the financial burden on certificate holders a

16-year-old Jaidyn Rice was tragically killed in a road traffic collision in Bangor, Co Down on the evening of Tuesday 8th July 2025. The family of 16-year-old Jaidyn Rice are backing a push to change Northern Ireland’s road traffic laws after the teenager was killed in a collision that has left loved ones campaigning for tougher drug testing powers. Proposed amendments to the Justice Bill — being described as “Jaidyn’s Law” — would bring drug testing much more to the forefro

Justice Minister Naomi Long addressing the Police Federation for Northern Ireland annual conference Police officers who responded to recent dissident bomb attacks in Lurgan and Dunmurry have been praised for their “visible competence and bravery” as Northern Ireland’s Justice Minister warned the PSNI is now facing the bleakest financial crisis she has ever seen. Addressing the Police Federation for Northern Ireland annual conference, Naomi Long delivered a stark assessment of

Former world boxing champion Carl Frampton In major new BBC documentary Carl Frampton: On Probation Former world boxing champion Carl Frampton has been granted unprecedented behind-the-scenes access to Northern Ireland’s probation system in a major new BBC documentary series exploring crime, rehabilitation and the difficult reality of preventing reoffending. The six-part series, Carl Frampton: On Probation, marks the first time television cameras have been allowed such extens