Dad is cleared of death threat post

Found not guilty over Facebook comment

A Cambuslang dad has been cleared of sending a death threat to the head of the prosecution service in Northern Ireland.

Gordon Galloway, 50, posted a comment on a Facebook page under a story about Barra McGrory QC and him representing members of the IRA during his time as a solicitor.

Mr Galloway wrote “death...plain and simple” on June 11, 2015 on the public social media page.

A journalist alerted Mr McGrory’s communication team in Northern Ireland that a death threat had been posted online and Mr Galloway was later questioned by police in Scotland.

At his trial at Glasgow Sheriff Court he denied making a threatening or offensive comment on Facebook and said it was a response to an earlier post, that was later removed.

Sheriff Frances McCartney found Mr Galloway not guilty of the charge.

It was heard that before becoming the director of public prosecutions, Mr McGrory was a lawyer for members of the IRA accused of murder who had received “letters of comfort”.

This granted them immunity from prosecution.

Communications officer Conor McLoughlin, 36, gave evidence that he received a phone call from a journalist reporting there had been a death threat made against Mr McGrory.

He told the court he took a screen grab of the comment on the Facebook page he was directed to and the matter was passed on to the police.

Procurator fiscal depute Pauline Shade asked: “What did you think? Did you form a view about the statement?”

He replied: “I didn’t have a view to form because it was alerted to me as a death threat, as soon I saw it, I concurred. “I agreed that it was a threat.” Miss Shade asked: “Who did you perceived it was a threat to?” and Mr McLoughlin replied “The director.”

Under cross- examination by defence lawyer Keith Tuck, the witness agreed it was a “particularly sensitive time in politics in Northern Ireland”.

Mr Galloway does not deny posting the Facebook comment and told police that when they interviewed him in July 2015.

In evidence he said he was asked if he was “politically aware” and said “I’d like to think so”.

The dad-of-two said he was on a political Facebook page where he read the article about Mr McGrory representing murder suspects who received letters and left a comment in response to someone else.

Asked what he thought when he read the story he said: “I think it’s absolutely disgusting anybody at all involved in murder would get away with it so I wrote a comment.

“Death, plain and simple’, as in the man is dealing in death and murder on a daily basis”.

Galloway claimed someone wrote a comment under the article asking “what Mr McGrory deals in” and he then replied with his comment.

The former electronic engineer told the court: “It wasn’t a death threat, it wasn’t meant to be threatening in any way at all.

“I can see that now in hindsight, I can see how it could be construed as a death threat.”

He agreed it was “clumsy” comment.

It wasn’t a death threat, it wasn’t meant to be threatening in any way at all