Other News In Brief

Appeal For Information On Aggravated Burglary In East Belfast

Police have issued an appeal for information following an aggravated burglary in East Burglary.

According to police, at approximately 8.30pm last night, four men forced their way into a house on Mayflower Street. A woman and her young children were at home at the time. It is understood that during the incident, one of the men "held a hammer to the head of a one-year-child".

Police have described the event as a "terrifying incident" and asked anyone with information to contact them.

Courts And Tribunals To Continue During Lockdown

Courts and tribunals in Northern Ireland will continue to operate during the two week circuit break lockdown, Justice Minister Naomi Long has confirmed.

The Minister reiterated that courts and tribunals staff, the judiciary and the legal profession are among those professions regarded as providing an essential service.

Reminding members of the public that while the bulk of hearings would still be conducted remotely, in-person hearings would be held if directed by a judge, Naomi Long said: "The position in recent months has been that most hearings in the criminal, family and civil courts and tribunals have been conducted remotely using technology such as Sightlink unless a judge or panel chairperson directs otherwise.

"That remains the situation during the circuit break.

"We ask members of the public involved in court and tribunal proceedings to check in advance with their legal representatives or court and tribunal offices if they are required to appear in person and to only attend in person, if required.

"Members of the public and legal representatives who are required to appear are also urged to work closely with courts and tribunals staff and with security personnel to ensure social distancing guidelines are followed and to continue to observe other measures designed to reduce the possibility of Covid-19 infection such as using hand gels and wearing face coverings, unless directed by a judge or panel member to remove them."

The Minister again paid tribute to all Northern Ireland Courts and Tribunals Service staff, the judiciary, legal professionals, security and other justice partners for ensuring that courts and tribunals continued to function throughout the Covid-19 pandemic though remote, in-person or hybrid hearings.

Naomi Long said: "A colossal effort went in to ensuring justice did not grind to a halt when lockdown occurred earlier this year and also in subsequent months to ensure that in-person hearings could take place safely.

"Courts and tribunals staff, judges, legal representatives, security and other support staff, police, prisons and probation staff have all had to adjust very quickly to new ways of working and in recent months significant inroads have been made into addressing the backlogs that built up in court and tribunals cases.

"A lot of that work has not always been visible to the general public but I would like to put on record my appreciation to all those who have delivered these important services in extraordinary circumstances."

NI Inclusion In Counter-Terrorism and Sentencing Bill Welcomed

The DUP has welcomed a decision by the Government to include Northern Ireland within the Counter-Terrorism and Sentencing (CTS) Bill.

The commitment was made in a letter to the Justice Minister which was shared with the Justice Committee. The letter confirms a commitment made to Mr Robinson by the Minister, Chris Philp two weeks ago.

East Belfast MP and Home Affairs and Justice spokesperson, Gavin Robinson, said: "This is a welcome step forward from the government. It is right that there should be a unified approach to the sentencing and release of terrorist offenders across the UK.

"It would obviously have been preferable had a Legislative Consent Motion been brought and passed by the Assembly, but these are excepted matters and it is right the Government will ensure Northern Ireland is covered by this legislation.

"Ensuring that serious and dangerous terrorist offenders spend longer in custody is something which no sensible person could argue against. The issues dealt with in the bill are real, because they have been exploited by offenders who carried out the terror attacks at Fishmongers Hall in 2019 and in Streatham earlier this year."