Murdered Ian Ogle subjected to 'campaign of intimidation' following bar fight 18 months before death

The family of murdered east Belfast man Ian Ogle say they were subjected to a "campaign of intimidation" following a fight in a local bar 18 months before his death, a court heard on Wednesday.

During the second day of a non-jury trial at Belfast Crown Court, Mr Ogle's son gave evidence while statements made by his partner and daughter were read out.

Mr Justice McFarland also heard a statement by a pastor who was with Mr Ogle when he was beaten and stabbed close to his Cluan Place home on the evening of Sunday January 27, 2019.

It's the crown's case that Mr Ogle was attacked by a group of five men.

Jonathan Brown (38) from Whinney Hill in Dundonald and 45-year-old Mark Sewell of Glenmount Drive in Newtownabbey pleaded guilty to murdering Mr Ogle earlier this month and were handed life sentences.

Glenn Rainey (37) whose address was given as Ballyhalbert Caravan Park, Walter Alan Ervine (42) from Litchfield Street in Belfast and 41-year-old Robert Spiers from Millars Park in Dundonald have all denied the murder charge and are currently standing trial in Belfast.

Mr Ogle's son Ryan Johnston was called to the witness stand and was asked about a violent incident in the Albert Bar which occurred in July 2017.

Ryan said he and a friend had been socialising in the bar and that the fight broke out over a "dirty look."

He said Rainey had been collecting money for a lock-in, that he tapped Rainey on the shoulder to let him know the DJ wanted to go home and that Rainey then told him "stop f*****g tapping me".

Saying this "shocked" him, Ryan said he was accused of "giving dirty looks" then attacked by Brown.

Ian Ogle was made aware of the fight and a short time later he arrived at the Albert Bar with his partner Vera.

Toni Johnston, who was socialising in east Belfast that night, also arrived at the bar.

When the prosecuting barrister asked Ryan if "all hell broke loose" at that point, he said "yes".

He confirmed bar stools, tables and bottles were all thrown in the fight and that he and his father were bottled and his sister Toni beaten up.

He was taken to the Ulster Hospital where he was treated for a head wound that required staples.

The witness also confirmed that his father's cousin Neil Ogle was in the bar, and saw him being attacked but failed to intervene and help him.

Ryan was also asked about his involvement in an attack upon Neil Ogle 18 months later - around an hour before his father's murder.

He told the court that he, his mother, his father and his girlfriend had gone to his sister's for Sunday dinner and were driving home to Cluan Place when they spotted Neil Ogle walking along Albertbridge Road.

Ryan confirmed he got out of his girlfriend's car and started fighting with Neil Ogle.

When asked if there had been "bad blood" since the fight in the Albert, Ryan said there had been and that he never forgave Neil Ogle for not stepping in to help him.

Ryan confirmed his father also got out of the car, told his cousin "you hurt my family" and said to him "get into him son".

Following this street fight, the father and son returned to Cluan Place.

Ryan said he then went for a shower and following this, his friend called at his door and shouted 'they've got your Daddy, they've got your Daddy.'

He said he ran out into the street and saw his father lying face-down on the side of the road at the entrance to Cluan Place.

He was asked by the Crown barrister "did you kneel down and turn your Daddy over and were you shouting 'Daddy, Daddy?'

He replied "yes", and when asked if his father said anything, he answered "no."

Ryan confirmed that his father made a sound but didn't say anything and that he pulled his top up and noticed slice marks on his back and shoulder.

When asked "were you holding his head and did you have him in your arms?", Ryan said "yes".

He was then asked about the arrival of his mother Vera and sister Toni and said his father was placed into the back of an ambulance.

The prosecutor asked raised the street fight with Neil Ogle and asked Ryan: "Do you believe if you hadn't got out of the car to Neil, then that wouldn't have happened to your Daddy?" to which he replied "yes."

Statements made by Ian Ogle's partner Vera Johnston and his daughter Toni Johnston were also read out.

In a statement made in February 2019, Toni said she cooked Sunday dinner for her family on the evening of January 27.

She said a short time later she received a call from a relative regarding the incident with Neil Ogle.

Toni said she left her home and as she made her way to her parents home she saw a group of men running along Templemore Avenue.

After arriving at the entrance to Cluan Place, she said she got out of the car and saw her father lying on the ground.

She said: "Ryan was holding him, Ryan was shouting 'they sliced him'. My Daddy was on the road on the edge of the pavement."

Recalling several people started arriving at the scene, Toni's said she was "kicking and screaming" and that her father was put in the back of an ambulance.

She said: "My Daddy was taken to the RVH, my Mummy was with him." She added that after being driven to the hospital, she was told he had died and that she was "totally traumatised by what has happened."

In a second statement made in September 2020, Toni Johnston confirmed the incident in the Albert Bar in July 2017 and named Brown as one of her attackers.

She said that following this, her family were subjected to "a sustained campaign of intimidation" which she said included verbal abuse on the street by Ervine.

Toni concluded her second statement by saying: "My Daddy was murdered on the 27th of January, 2019 and a combination of all these events ... led up to the murder.

"My Daddy and my family have been intimidated repeatedly ever since July 2017."

Also read was a statement made by Vera Johnston.

Confirming she and Ian Ogle were together for 30 years prior to his death, she also spoke of "threats and intimidation" against her family following the bar fight.

Regarding the evening her partner was killed, Ms Johnston said she witnessed the fight between her son and Neil Ogle.

She said after this, she went to her niece's home and was in a car being driven back to Cluan Place when she was called and told "you may get round here, they've got Ian."

Ms Johnston said that when she arrived at Cluan Place she could see her partner lying on the ground.

She said the emergency services arrived, her partner was "worked on for ages" and she went in an ambulance with him to the RVH.

In her statement, Ms Johnston said: "At that point I didn't think it was very serious. When we arrived at the hospital I was taken to a family room where I remained until the hospital staff told me that Ian had died.

"I am completely traumatised and numb about what has happened to Ian. My children have been left without their father and me without my lifelong partner."

The trial also heard a statement from the pastor of a local church who was praying with Mr Ogle when he was approached by the attackers.

He said Mr Ogle told him 'they are on their way' and he got a sense of impending doom.

The pastor said: "I became aware of a group of about five people, they all had hoods and scarves up expect one.

"They were walking with purpose ... I thought they looked very menacing. Ian turned around, I think he knew what was about to happen as they started to move more rapidly towards him.

"He moved towards them and they came into contact at the pavement.

"I remember Ogie saying something like 'come on, let's get this over with.' Initially I thought it was a punishment beating.

"They were like a pack of hyenas, they laid into him. They were spread around him. His arms seemed to be held out to the sides to disable his arms. He couldn't protect himself.

"They were punching and kicking him, his head was down. There was movement from where it started to the middle of the road, the blows still coming down on him."

"A saw a bat of some description ... they were hitting him with the bat and he went down. They continued to attack him and then they started to walk away."

The pastor said one of the group then stamped on Mr Ogle's head several times which prompted him to say 'that's enough. Stop. Don't stamp on his head any more.'

The Pastor said he stayed with Mr Ogle, laid his hands on his stomach and prayed.

He said Ryan then arrived and an ambulance was called. He added that "although someone mentioned seeing a blade, I didn't see any" and described the scene as "terrible."

The hearing continues.

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