Pipe bomb sentence must send signal to all engaged in sectarian intimidation - The Irish News view
The jail sentence handed down to a man for placing pipe bombs on cars at playing fields used by East Belfast GAA will hopefully send a clear message to anyone involved in similar nakedly sectarian intimidation.John Wilson (59) will spend a year and a half in prison, followed by the same period on licence, for the attempt to terrorise those doing nothing more than taking part in communal sporting activity.As well as being found guilty of possessing explosives in suspicious circumstances, the grandfather-of-seven was convicted of attempting to intimidate GAA members ‘by force, threats, or menaces’ at Henry Jones Playing Fields.Judge Gordon Kerr said Wilson, of Lower Braniel Road in Belfast, had engaged in the “deliberate use of explosives to cause fear and distress in order to achieve the sectarian aim of stopping the public using the GAA pitches”.The charges date all the way back to August 2020, when a telephone warning to police about explosive devices sparked a security alert in the area.
It wasn’t until the following day that the devices were found on the windscreens of two cars of male players, in what must have been a terrifying discovery. A woman also found a screwdriver in the wiper well of her car.The alert happened just months after East Belfast GAA had been founded, reviving Gaelic games in the east of the city after a gap of almost half a century.Players have joined in large numbers from all backgrounds, and the club’s first president was Linda Ervine, an Irish language enthusiast from a unionist background.However, this has been plainly not been to the liking of some sinister elements and a campaign of intimidation has seen graffiti attacks, bomb alerts, goalposts set alight and even oil spread on the pitch.A Victim Impact Statement from one of those targeted with a pipe bomb described the fear he felt in the aftermath and the scars left on people’s lives.He also pointed to the unacceptable length of time it has taken for justice to be served, saying it left him feeling “these kind of bigoted attacks are being tolerated”.The actions of Wilson – who denied the charges – and all those involved in such cowardly actions stand in stark contrast to the message of inclusion offered by East Belfast GAA with its motto of ‘Together’, expressed in English, Irish and Ulster Scots.The jail term will hopefully serve as a warning to anyone attempting to intimidate or instil fear in others simply on the basis of their religious, cultural or sporting affiliations.Every support must meanwhile be given to the club as it continues to play a hugely positive role for young and old in the community.If you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article and would like to submit a Letter to the Editor to be considered for publication, please click hereLetters to the Editor are invited on any subject. They should be authenticated with a full name, address and a daytime telephone number. Pen names are not allowed.
