Hate crime: Food parcels destroyed in arson attack on charity’s premises
CHARITY workers in Belfast are paying to replace food parcels out of their own pockets after a fire destroyed their premises in what police are treating as a hate crime. The two-storey Belfast Multi-cultural Association building on Donegall Pass was gutted in a blaze on Thursday. Charity trustee Muhammad Atif said it was determined to carry on helping the local community.
A BELFAST man yesterday admitted conspiring with a murder victim to import £180,000 of cocaine.
Liam Dewar was due to go on trial at Craigavon Crown Court next week but defence counsel Peter Coiley asked for two of the three charges to be put to the 26-year-old again.
Appearing at court from the offices of Trevor Smyth & Co, Dewar entered guilty pleas to conspiring with murder victim Warren Crossan to import cocaine and to possess the class A drug with intent to supply on November 8 2019.
A further offence of simple possession of cocaine was left on the books.
None of the facts were opened yesterday but previous courts have heard how Dewar, formerly from Rodney Parade, was arrested when police stopped a van he was driving on the A1 close to Hillsborough.
An initial search found nothing and the van was locked into Creighton’s Garage for the weekend while Dewar was freed on police bail.
Police couldn’t find the drugs hidden inside a van and were about to hand it back when a gang tried unsuccessfully to bust it out so suspicious detectives had another look and uncovered three kilos of cocaine worth £180,000 under the floor behind the drivers seat in the Citreon Berlingo van.
Dewer’s phone was also seized and triaged by police and it showed numerous text exchanges between him and Warren Crossan along with a photograph of £15,000 in cash.
During interview, Dewer claimed he had travelled to Dublin to hand over money for the payment of damages to a vehicle but he denied having any knowledge of the drugs.
He further claimed he had taken the picture of the cash as he had never seen that amount of money before and had given it to an unknown male in the Liffey Valley Shopping Centre.
Crossan (28) was also arrested and charged and had been on bail accused of involvement in the importation but he was gunned down close to his home on Rodney Parade in west Belfast on June 25.
To date, no one has been charged with his murder.
In court yesterday, Judge Patrick Lynch QC said given the pleas “clearly a pre-sentence report will be necessary” so freeing Dewar on bail, he ordered a probation report and adjourned passing sentence until February 19.