Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
ACCUSED SUPPLIED CAR USED IN LOYALIST HIT
SHOT DEAD Man guilty of making motor available to terrorists
A MAN has been found guilty of providing his car to the UDA for the murder of loyalist rival John “Bonzer” Boreland.
Thomas Boyd Pearson, 63, denied a single charge at his non-jury Belfast Crown Court trial of making a Renault Megane available to terrorists.
He admitted perverting the course of justice by burning the car after the murder.
Darren Mcallister and Thomas O’hara have already pleaded guilty to perverting the course of justice by burning the car after the killing.
Prosecutors said the silver Megane car was seen by witnesses leaving the scene at Sunningdale Garden, North Belfast.
Boreland was found slumped between two cars, one of which was his own Mercedes, in August 2016
A postmortem found he died from “significant head trauma” caused by a shotgun wound.
Prosecutor David Mcdowell said he had been shot in the left arm, one round hit him in the chest from a few metres and the third was to the “front and top of the head from close range”.
He added: “The implication is that this was an execution.”
The Megane car was later captured on CCTV driving in convoy with a Nissan Micra. The court heard the Micra was fitted with a tracker which showed it drove to Wheelers Road in the Belfast hills a few days later where the Megane was found on fire.
Yesterday Judge David Mcfarland said Pearson told police at interview that an individual came to his door one night and said: “We need your car to do a wee message.”
Pearson, of Cliftondene Park in North Belfast, but now with an address at Rathglynn in Antrim, later told police that in fact a car load of people had come his door and described them as “sinister”.
The judge said: “In a series of answers, he indicated these individual were members of a group.”
The judge added Pearson was asked by police if they belonged to a terrorist or proscribed organisation and he replied: “Aye, I’d say they do.”
Judge Mcfarland said: “At this stage he was confirming his belief that they were members of a group, which is either a terror group or a proscribed group and regarded the members as ‘sinister’.
“He confirmed his belief the request for his car came from ‘the very top’.’’ But Pearson denied to police that the request for his car had come from North Belfast UDA but said it could have come from another area.
The judge concluded: “I am satisfied by the replies given by the defendant to the various questions that at the time he made the vehicle available he knew that it was going to be used for the benefit of a proscribed organisation... his replies indicate his knowledge that it was the Ulster Defence Association.
“On the basis of what he said to police, he knew the vehicle was going to be used for the benefit of a proscribed organisation.
“I am convinced there were certain facts known to the defendant which would have given him reasonable cause to suspect his vehicle was to be used by a proscribed organisation.
“I am satisfied beyond a reasonable doubt he is guilty and I find him guilty of count two.”
Judge Mcfarland released Pearson on bail and said he would sentence Pearson and his two co-accused next month.
BELFAST CROWN COURT