‘Loyalist paramilitary transitioning has failed’ ex-watchdog says

The process aimed at disbanding loyalist paramilitary groups has failed, a former security watchdog has told BBC Northern Ireland’s Spotlight programme.

Lord Alderdice, the former Alliance Party leader who was a member of the Independent Monitoring Commission, said talks about loyalist transition should stop.

He was responding to the arrest and conviction on firearms charges of Winston Irvine, who worked as an interlocutor with the Loyalist Communities Council (LCC), which represents mainstream loyalist groups.

A senior LCC source told Spotlight that loyalist transition is on course to be concluded this autumn, with an announcement of the complete dismantling of all paramilitary structures.

Irvine, of Ballysillan Road in north Belfast, was a well-known community worker before being given a two and a half year sentence over guns and ammunition found in the boot of his car in 2022.

The Public Prosecution Service (PPS) is appealing the sentence for being “unduly lenient”.

Irvine’s conviction has returned attention to loyalist funding and paramilitary groups.

Set up in 2015, the LCC says it represents a loyalist leadership committed to transition, the scaling back of criminality and ultimately disbandment.

A source in the organisation told Spotlight that Winston Irvine has been instrumental in moving the mainstream Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) away from criminality, and that a final push for loyalist transition is imminent.

Lord Alderdice spent seven years on the Independent Monitoring Commission, which was given access to secret intelligence to report on paramilitary activities, before it was wound up in 2011.

He said the transition process is “not working”.

“A halt should be called, and you can’t call a halt now sooner than today.

“There comes a point when you have to say no, this hasn’t been delivered.

“It’s not going to be delivered. And, actually, by continuing we are making it worse.”

Lord Alderdice told the programme he does not believe the loyalist paramilitaries are making a genuine effort to transition away from criminality.

“What I’ve seen is more talking about transition, and transformation, and no doubt with an invoice provided, for how much money is needed to be made available from public services in order to pay off these people.”

Cathy McIlvenny’s sister, Lorraine, was murdered by UDA members in 1987.

She previously told Spotlight, in 2013, that she dealt with Winston Irvine when he arranged a punishment shooting of her nephew, Craig, in 2002.

Cathy believes the sentence given to Irvine is not enough, and says loyalist paramilitaries will continue as long as funding is still available.

“They’re just being given money to keep them quiet and make it look to the rest of the world now that the British government has solved the Northern Ireland problem.

“But, it hasn’t. It’s made it worse for the communities.”

In 2013 it was alleged to Spotlight that Winston Irvine was a UVF leader, something which he has denied as “preposterous”.

No explanation was given in court as to why Irvine and his co-accused had the guns.

Following the arrest, police discovered UVF paraphernalia in Irvine’s home, and that of his co-accused Robin Workman.

However, in sentencing, Judge Gordon Kerr KC concluded the movement of weapons had not been directly connected to terrorism.

54-year-old, Workman, of Shore Road in Larne, was sentenced to five years – the minimum custodial sentence, which the PPS said it would not be appealing.

The guns were found by covert police six weeks after a hoax bomb, which targeted a peace event in Belfast attended by then Irish Foreign Minister Simon Coveney in March 2022.

Police said UVF involvement in the hoax attack was a primary line of inquiry.

Prior to his arrest and conviction, Winston Irvine spent more than a decade as a paid community worker.

That role gave him access to high-level contacts and enhanced his credibility as a peace builder.

The 49-year-old, who received a number of supportive character references during the case, provided a pre-prepared statement in which he claimed to be a “trusted interlocutor” in community relations and the peace process.

However, his arrest sent shock waves through the British and Irish governments because of how they often rely on community workers to engage with loyalist communities.

Following his arrest, Irvine was suspended from his role at the north Belfast community group Intercomm Ireland, in line with its internal disciplinary procedures.

He left the organisation several months later.

Intercomm said it was “difficult to convey the impact” the case had on its team who were “shocked, disappointed and felt let down” by Winston Irvine’s actions.

A statement added that “significant reorganisation (was) required to continue to deliver on our commitments to projects and fulfil obligations to funders and to the community”.

But Irvine continued to work on funded projects in unionist and loyalist areas while on bail for the weapons charges.