Belfast man remanded over loyalist shooting

A 36-year-old man has been remanded in custody charged with the attempted murder of leading loyalist Mark Haddock last Tuesday.

Darren Stewart Moore from the Mount Vernon Estate, north Belfast today denied trying to kill the alleged Special Branch agent.

When charged, Moore said: "I'm not guilty, could you check my alibis?"

Another man questioned in connection with the attack has been released without charge.

Mark Haddock, 37 and originally from the Mount Vernon area of north Belfast, was shot in the Mossley area of the Doagh Road shortly before 3.30pm on May 30 and remains in a serious condition in hospital.

It has been reported that Mr Haddock may have been lured to the area, where he was subsequently ambushed and shot.

He was taken to the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast, where he was treated for six gunshot wounds.

Loyalists are being blamed for carrying out the attack

Mr Haddock, who is suspected of being a senior member of the Ulster Volunteer Force, is currently on bail facing a charge of attempted murder.

He was accused of attempting to kill nightclub doorman Trevor Gowdy in Monkstown in December 2002.

Mr Gowdy was found unconscious in the Monkstown Estate. He had been severely beaten with an iron bar and a hatchet.

The trial began at Belfast Crown Court last year, but was stopped after Mr Gowdy broke down in the witness box and was later deemed medically unfit to continue. Earlier this month, Mr Gowdy was granted permission to testify from a secret location in England.

Haddock is also at the centre of an investigation by the Police Ombudsman's Office, whose officers are looking into claims of collusion linked to a string of murders.

During today's hearing, a PSNI Detective Inspector told the court that he believed that he could connect Moore to the charges.

He was remanded in custody until July 3, when he will reappear again by video link.

(EF/SP)