Leading loyalist Winston 'Winky' Irvine pleads guilty to firearm offences

Leading loyalist Winston 'Winky' Irvine and a co-accused pleaded guilty to firearm and ammunition offences on Monday.

Irvine (49), of Ballysillan Road in north Belfast and Robin Workman (53) of Shore Road in Larne, Co Antrim, were due to go on trial at Belfast Crown Court in front of a judge sitting alone without a jury.

However, following legal discussions, Irvine's counsel Brenda Campbell KC and Michael Borrelli KC for Workman both made applications for their clients re-arraigned on all charges they faced.

Standing in the dock flanked by prison officers, both men entered guilty pleas that they possessed firearms and ammunition in suspicious circumstances.

They also admitted two counts of possessing a handgun without a certificate, one count of possessing ammunition without a certificate, possessing a prohibited weapon and possessing a firearm without a certificate.

Workman further pleaded guilty to possessing a .177 calibre air rifle without holding a firearm certificate.

All of the offences were committed on June 8, 2022.

The defendants had previously pleaded not guilty to all the charges when they were first arraigned in August this year.

Judge Gordon Kerr KC said that as the offences automatically passed the custody threshold, Irvine and Workman were entitled to have presentence reports prepared on them by the Probation Board NI.

Both Ms Campbell and Mr Borrelli said they would not be seeking pre-sentence reports for their clients ahead of sentencing and would be furnishing the court with their own documents in due course.

Judge Kerr asked the defence counsels: "As I have said, these offences have passed the custody threshold, I take it you want your clients to remain on bail ahead of sentencing?''

The senior defence counsels replied "yes''.

There were no objections from the prosecution to the defendants remaining on bail.

"I will continue their bail on the same terms,'' said Judge Kerr. "But they have to be aware of the fact that that might not be the result when they come back. You are free to go.''

Irvine and Workman will be sentenced on January 23, 2025.

No details were given in court today (Monday) on circumstances surrounding the offences.

But at previous court hearings it was alleged that Workman transported a quantity of weapons and ammunition to the Glencairn area of Belfast in his van, which the PSNI believed were then put into the boot of Irvine’s Volkswagen Tiguan car.

Irvine’s vehicle was stopped in Disraeli Street and when the boot was searched two suspected pistols, an air gun, magazines and over 200 rounds of ammunition were discovered inside a leather holdall.

Belfast Magistrates’ Court heard in June this year that police identified Mr Irvine in a parked card in the area on June 8, 2022.

He was observed in conversation with Workman before closing the boot of his car and driving off, a Crown lawyer told the court.

A short time later police detained Mr Irvine and when asked if there was anything in the car he could not account for, Irvine replied “bag in the boot”.

A long-barrelled firearm, two suspected pistols, several magazines, and a large quantity of ammunition were discovered inside a holdall in the boot.

During the preliminary enquiry hearing, Irvine called then Assistant Chief Constable Bobby Singleton as a witness.

The court heard the two men have known each other for ten years, stretching back to Mr Singleton’s role as an area commander dealing with parading disputes in north Belfast.

Mr Singleton confirmed Irvine has his mobile number and that all their dealings were on issues of peace and reconciliation.

Irvine made no comment during police interviews.

He provided a prepared statement, claiming: "I have developed a reputation as a trusted interlocutor engaging with the community on key outstanding issues in relation to the Northern Ireland peace and political process.''

Defence solicitor Darragh Mackin argued that those claims were supported by Mr Singleton’s evidence of dealing with Irvine as a community representative.

“From the outset he has strenuously denied these charges and set out in unequivocal terms his defence,” the solicitor said.

“He isn’t connected forensically in any way to the items in question.”

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