Two men charged with lesser offences in connection with murder of Ian Ogle change pleas to guilty

Ian Ogle was beaten and stabbed to death near his home in Cluan Place in January 2019.

Two men charged with lesser offences in relation to the murder of Ian Ogle have changed their pleas to guilty as the trial was about to start.

Reece Kirkwood, 26, from Tower Court in Belfast has now admitted withholding information.

36-year-old Thomas McCartney, of Wolff Close in Belfast, was re-arraigned on the charge of assisting an offender and pleaded guilty.

Ian Ogle was beaten and stabbed to death near his home in Cluan Place in January 2019.

Five other men face a charge of murder.

The five charged with murder are: Jonathan Brown (38) of Whinney Hill in Dundonald, Walter Ervine (42) of Litchfield Street in Belfast, Glenn Rainey (37) whose address was given as Ballyhalbert Caravan Park, Mark Sewell (44) from Glenmount Drive in Newtownabbey and Robert Spiers (41) of Millars Park, Dundonald. The remaining accused is Christopher Haire (54) of Killagan Bend in Belfast who is charged with assisting offenders. The court heard that more time was needed to hear legal arguments on admissibility of evidence on which the prosecution seeks to rely. The trial proper is scheduled to take place later this week or the following Monday. The judge warned anyone in the public gallery not to cover their faces or heads.

He said no hats, no hoods, no scarves, no masks or balaclavas would be permitted, adding that anyone seen to be wearing any of these would be removed from the public gallery and dealt with by the police.

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