Decision delayed on trial over IRA abudction and killing of mother-of-10

A DECISION on whether the trial against a veteran republican charged in connection with the murder of Jean

McConville will proceed has been delayed to the autumn.

Ivor Bell, 80, faces two counts of soliciting the

IRA abduction and killing of the mother-of-10 in

1972, but Belfast Crown Court has heard evidence he is suffering from dementia and would not be able to participate fully in proceedings.

Prosecutors had been expected to announce the outcome of their review of the case yesterday but instead asked for further time to consider additional evidence submitted by Mr Bell’s defence team on Thursday morning.

Prosecuting barrister Ciaran Muphy QC told judge Mr Justice Treacy that the defence submission touched on

Ivor Bell is allegedly suffering from dementia.

legal, factual and medical issues.

The judge agreed to list the case for another pre-trial hearing after the summer recess on September 8.

Mr Bell, from Ramoan Gardens in west Belfast, denies the charges.

Mrs McConville, a

37-year-old mother, was dragged from her home in Belfast’s Divis flats complex by an IRA gang of up to 12 men and women, accused of passing information to the British Army – an allegation later discredited by the Northern Ireland Police Ombudsman. LETTERS penned by Albert Einstein in which he discusses everything from the breakdown of his marriage to general relativity are to be auctioned.

The celebrated scientist wrote the letters into his life and thoughts, to his closest friend, Michele Besso.

He discusses in detail key scientific concepts, such as special and general relativity, the cosmological constant, the redshift of spectral lines, unified field theory and quantum mechanics.

But the theoretical physicist also writes about the breakdown of his first marriage, the League of Nations, fame, getting old, walking in the mountains with his young son – and makes humorous remarks about his colleagues.

Auction house Christie’s