Judge Flees Home

A judge has had to flee his Belfast home because of a threat to his life from dissident republicans. The High Court's Mr Justice Treacy has been involved in some of the most high profiles cases in NI, including the trial of the three men convicted of murdering Ballymena teenager Michael McIlveen, as well as the trial over the killing of John Mongan in front of his wife in February 2008. In September he jailed three Lurgan men who admitted having a mortar bomb two years ago. It is believed Mr Justice Treacy was the target of a pipe bomb attack (such as that, pictured) near the house later that month and his home on Donegall Park Avenue off the Antrim Road is up for sale after being purchased by the Housing Executive under the Special Purchase of Evacuated Dwellings scheme.

Wilsons 'Clocking' Fine

A Portadown company was fined £1,000 at Craigavon Magistrates' Court for falsely describing the mileage of a car and subsequently supplying the same car to a consumer. In a case brought by the Trading Standards Service of the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment, Wilsons Auctions (Portadown Ltd) pleaded guilty to two charges, under the Trade Descriptions Act, 1968. An investigation revealed that Wilsons had advertised a Mercedes C220 in an auction booklet as having '73,453 miles – correct'. A consumer had purchased the car for £5,100, and shortly afterwards it was detected that the true mileage of the vehicle was at least 133,479 miles. The court heard evidence of how Wilsons were aware that the mileage stated in the brochure was incorrect, and yet failed to take appropriate action to ensure that it was not misrepresented to prospective purchasers.

PC World Safe Taken

Detectives have appealed for anyone who noticed suspicious activity in the Sprucefield area of Lisburn between 6pm on Sunday and 8am on Monday to contact them after thieves robbed a computer shop and made off with a safe containing a substantial sum of money. It happened at the PC World store, Lisburn. Police believe the robbers gained entry by forcing open a fire door at derelict premises next door then knocking a large hole in a connecting wall.

Wilson Backs Women

NI Finance Minister Sammy Wilson has commended a project delivering educational training for women in Lisburn. The project, run by the Old Warren Community Association, has been funded by the EU's European Regional Development Fund through the PEACE III Programme. It is one of a network of organisations delivering a £2.7 million project providing educational training for women across Northern Ireland and the border counties of the Republic of Ireland. The Building Positive Relations project has been developed by Training for Women Network and Women into Politics. The project is helping local women explore their own and other cultures, deal with the challenges of tackling racism and sectarianism and enable them to play a greater part in decision making at both a local and regional level.

Hi-Tech Gradutes Needed

A new report has re-emphasised the importance of high level Information and Communications Technology (ICT) skills to the economy here. Commissioned by the Department for Employment and Learning on behalf of the ICT Future Skills Action Group, the study is part of a broader programme of activity to increase the pool of skilled and talented people available to this critical sector. The study of high level skills needs of the Northern Ireland ICT sector has shown that an increasing number of computer science graduates are needed over the next ten years to boost economic productivity. The Minister for Employment and Learning Sir Reg Empey said: "The message is quite simple – a critical mass of people with high level skills in this area can attract high value jobs to Northern Ireland. We saw this recently with the announcement by the New York Stock Exchange of its decision to create up to 400 jobs here for that very reason."

Victims Helped In 2010

A new multi-agency approach to help protect the safety of victims of domestic violence in Northern Ireland will be in place by the end of January, Criminal Justice Minister Paul Goggins and Health Minister Michael McGimpsey have said. The establishment of Multi Agency Risk Assessment Conferencing (MARAC), which brings together all agencies best placed to assess risk, will be a major step forward in protecting victims of domestic violence. A MARAC co-ordinator has been appointed together with eight MARAC administrators, one in each PSNI District, as part of delivering the Tackling Violence at Home Strategy.

(BMcC/KMcA)