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In a recent development, the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) has released video footage showcasing the moment guns and ammunition were discovered in loyalist community worker Winston Irvine’s car. The edited extracts from police body-worn camera recording the arrests of Irvine and another individual, Robin Workman, were shared with the BBC, albeit with most of the sound removed. The PSNI transcript revealed that officers were already aware they were looking for weapons when Irvine was stopped in Belfast in 2022. The sound in the video was intentionally muted to safeguard the identities of the police officers involved.
According to the PSNI transcript of Irvine’s arrest in west Belfast, an officer informed Irvine they were about to search his vehicle for “munitions and wireless apparatus”, indicating that the stop was made under the terms of the Justice and Security Act. Irvine vaguely acknowledged the presence of a bag in the trunk that he was not fully aware of its contents. Both Irvine and Workman, who received a five-year sentence, failed to provide an explanation for transporting the weapons discovered in their possession.
Despite discovering Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) paraphernalia in their homes, the judge presiding over the case did not find any direct terrorist connections to the firearms. Irvine received a sentence shorter than the statutory minimum due to his involvement in peace-building and charitable work. The release of the body-worn video footage by the PSNI was an unusual move prompted after a request from BBC NI’s Spotlight team during the making of a documentary titled “Caught: Guns In The Boot”, which delved into Irvine’s arrest and the potential ramifications for the UVF’s disbandment.
The UVF, a paramilitary organization responsible for over 500 deaths during the Troubles, has a history marred by atrocities such as the bombing of McGurk’s Bar in Belfast, sectarian killings by the Shankill Butchers, and the Loughinisland massacre. Winston Irvine, known for his involvement with the Progressive Unionist Party linked to the UVF during the peace process, faced allegations of being a UVF commander in the past. Despite his arrest in 2022, Irvine had been working as a community worker at Intercomm in Belfast. Upon his imprisonment, he opted to serve his sentence in a segregated loyalist wing of HMP Maghaberry, previously being involved in efforts to transform the UVF into a non-violent entity
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