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The BelTel brings you some of Northern Ireland's top journalists, Allison Morris, Sam McBride and Suzanne Breen to name but a few, giving you the inside stories behind what is in the news. Presented by Ciarán Dunbar, the Bel Tel investigates, debates and informs every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
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For decades, Gerry Adams has denied being a member of the Provisional IRA. Now, for the first time, that claim is being challenged in an English courtroom. Three men, all victims of separate IRA bombings, have taken civil action against the former Sinn Féin leader for the symbolic sum of £1 in damages. But after his resounding libel victory over the BBC last year, how will he fare under this new and very different legal scrutiny? And what could the consequences be if the judge rules in favour of the victims? Host: Tessa Fleming, Guests: Kurtis Reid, John Downing. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
The man accused of murdering Natalie McNally “lied and lied again”, a barrister has told Belfast Crown Court. Delivering his closing statement in the case, prosecuting barrister Charles MacCreanor KC reminded the jury that the accused Stephen McCullagh had chosen not to give evidence to his trial. However, defence barrister John Kearney KC said the case against Stephen McCullagh is “dependent upon circumstantial evidence”. There are “troubling” aspects of the prosecution case against the man accused of murdering Natalie McNally that point “towards some other killer”, he said. 36-year-old McCullagh denies killing Natalie McNally (32), who was found dead at her home in Lurgan on December 18, 2022. The Belfast Telegraph’s Crime Correspondent Allison Morris is covering the case. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
A witness says the unusual behaviour exhibited by Noah Donohoe prior to his disappearance could be associated with synthetic cannabinoids or a mental health condition. The jury at the inquest into the teenager’s death heard evidence from the toxicologists on Wednesday. Noah’s body was discovered in north Belfast on 27 June2020 - six days after the St Malachy’s College student went missing. The inquest is now in its eighth week of hearing evidence. Liam Tunney has been covering the inquest for the Belfast Telegraph. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
This time last year, Irish Taoiseach Micheál Martin was grasping an American-flag emblazoned short straw, playing second fiddle to Conor McGregor as our disgraced UFC representative took the St Patrick’s Day podium. Now that the Taoiseach has been restored to March 17 parity, he has one hell of a job on his hands. What kind of reception awaits him in Donald Trump’s Oval Office next week? Host: Kevin Doyle Guest: Mary Regan Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Serial killer Robert Black is now the subject of Netflix documentary 'Manhunt: The Child Snatcher'. Black was a monster, an abuser and murder of little girls - he was the child snatcher that all parents feared. His first murder victim we can be certain of was nine-year-old Co Antrim child Jennifer Cardy on 12 August 1981.He was convicted of killing four young girls but is suspected of abusing and murdering many, many more.Black died in Maghaberry Prison near Belfast in January 2016. His body was cremated, and his ashes thrown into the sea.Professor Craig Jackson is Professor of Occupational Health Psychology in the Department of Psychology at Birmingham City University. He tells Ciarán Dunbar what makes a serial killer and why we are so interested in them.This podcast was originally released in January 2023. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Elon Musk has built an encyclopedia which contains countless errors about Northern Ireland and its history. Grokipedia, which was launched in October last year, now has more than six million AI generated articles, but many articles related to Northern Ireland contain major mistakes or are highly misleading. The AI encyclopedia says that Ian Paisleys paramilitary Third Force was operating under Crown authority, it says murder victims the Reavey brothers were linked to the IRA, and that the Bloody Sunday massacre was instigated by the IRA, among many other errors. Sam McBride joined Olivia Peden. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
An ex-partner of Natalie McNally has told a court that he did not kill the Co Armagh woman. Ms McNally, 32, was 15 weeks pregnant when she was killed at her home in Lurgan on December 18 2022. On his third and final day of evidence, the witness shouted “you killed her” in an angry courtroom outburst at Stephen McCullagh, who stands accused of her murder. Her partner, Stephen McCullagh, 36, of Woodland Gardens in Lisburn, denies the murder charge. Allison Morris is covering the case for the Belfast Telegraph. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
A former partner of Natalie McNally was arrested last week on suspicion of making threats to kill a woman he had been seeing at the time of Ms McNally’s death, court has heard. The anonymous ex-boyfriend of Ms McNally told the court he reset his phone to factory settings after learning detectives were at his home in connection with the murder investigation, claiming he did so because he had cannabis in his home. Yesterday while giving evidence after he looked at murder accused Stephen McCullagh and shouted “you killed her”. Allison Morris was in court. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Pathologists at the inquest into the death of 14-year-old Noah Donohoe have agreed that his cause of death was drowning, with no indication of assault. All three pathologists agreed there was “no positive evidence” of toxicological contribution to Noah’s death, but this could not be excluded because of the limitations on toxicological analysis. Liam Tunney joins Olivia Peden. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
In the early hours of December 3, 1995, a small aircraft vanished over the Mediterranean. On board was Belfast-born engineer Desi Boomer, travelling home from Libya’s oil fields to Northern Ireland via Malta. Instead of welcoming him home, Desi’s wife Mandy received a visit from two RUC officers telling her the plane had disappeared. Initially treated as a routine aviation accident, the case of Piper Lance 9H-ABU has since become a long-running mystery, with allegations of negligence, espionage, and claims of hostage taking. Abdullah Sabri speaks to Desi’s brother Mark about dealing with his unexplained loss, unanswered questions, and what he thinks could have happened. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
The trial of Stephen McCullagh for the murder of Natalie McNally is continuing at Belfast Crown Court. In court today, a former partner of the murder accused gave evidence. The woman alleged that McCullagh had ‘recorded’ counselling sessions after she had suffered a stillbirth. She also said she withdrew a 2019 police statement relating to an alleged assault by McCullagh. Natalie McNally was 15 weeks pregnant when she was killed at her home on December 18, 2022. Mr McCullagh denies any involvement with the murder. Olivia Peden is joined by Allison Morris. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
The inquest into the death of 14-year-old Noah Donohoe has concluded its sixth week. Today in court the jury was shown a transcript of anonymous phone call involving man selling schoolboy’s possessions. On Wednesday, Sergeant Hutchings, a leading officer in the search for Noah, faced questions over whether police actions had delayed the identification of the culvert where the teenager was found. Hutchings said He “would’ve done anything" to find the teenager alive. Olivia Peden is joined by Liam Tunney. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
One of the main suspects in the murder of west Belfast man John George has been shot dead in the Costa Blanca. Michel Maly, a former soldier from the Czech republic, was shot dead in the early hours of Sunday morning in Torrevieja in the Alicante region of Spain. He had been on bail in connection with the murder of father-of-two John George, whose body was discovered in January 2025 – 24 days after he was reported missing. Olivia Peden is joined by Allison Morris. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
A man who was abused at a so-called ‘Christian nightclub’ has accused the Presbyterian Church and the PSNI of failing him and other potential victims. Ross Hunter, now 39 years old, says he was sexually abused by his cousin Jonathan Hyndman, who was a youth leader in a co. Londonderry church in the 1990s. Hyndman, who became a policeman in the 2000s, was suspended from duty after a criminal investigation was launched but took his own just days later. The victim has accused PCI of “trying to keep abuse buried”. Olivia Peden is joined by Belfast Telegraph’s Brett Campbell. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
The trial of Stephen McCullagh for the murder of 32-year-old Natalie McNally has entered its second week. Today in court a transcript was read out of McCullagh’s first interview with police, where he said Natalie was “having problems with her ex”. Ms McNally was killed at her home in Lurgan, suffering fatal injuries in what has been described as a “prolonged attack”. McCullagh (36) denies murdering Ms McNally, who was 15 weeks pregnant at the time of her death. Last week footage of the movements of a ‘person of interest’ was played to the court. Niamh Campbell was joined by Allison Morris. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Twenty years ago this week, Willie Frazer's planned ‘Love Ulster’ march ended in some of the worst riots ever witnessed in Dublin city centre. So how did a bright and busy Saturday afternoon descend into violence, disorder and chaos? We hear a first-hand account from a journalist who reported on the scene.Host: Fionnán Sheahan | Guest: Neil Fetherstonhaugh Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Individuals who ‘inserted themselves’ into the search for Noah Donohoe caused difficulties for police, the inquest into the 14-year-old's death has heard. On Wednesday it was revealed that more than 100 volunteers helped search for the schoolboy. One of those volunteers showed he could put his whole body through the bars leading to the culvert. It was also said in court that a resident of the Northwood Road area ‘couldn’t see any sign’ that someone entered the culvert where Noah Donohoe’s body was found. Liam Tunney is covering the inquest for the Belfast Telegraph. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
The trial of the man accused of murdering Natalie McNally is continuing in Belfast. 36-year-old Stephen McCullagh of Woodland Gardens in Lisburn, denies murdering Ms McNally. She was fifteen weeks pregnant when was killed at her home in Lurgan in December 2022. On Tuesday, the state pathologist outlined the injuries she sustained in a prolonged attack – including defence wounds as she tried to fight off her attacker. On Wednesday, the jury heard that experts from the PSNI’s cyberteam determined McCullagh’s six-hour stream on YouTube was not in fact live at all but had been recorded some days before. The crown’s case is that this constituted a false alibi. Allison Morris was in court. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Police received an anonymous tip-off that Daryl Paul had Noah Donohoe's backpack, the inquest into the 14-year-old's death has heard. The inquest also heard that there “is categorical acceptance that Mr Paul would not have interacted with Noah during his journey from south to north Belfast”. Noah’s naked body was found in a storm drain tunnel in north Belfast, six days after leaving home on his bike. The inquest is now in its fifth week of hearing evidence. Liam Tunney is covering for the Belfast Telegraph Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
The murder of a pregnant woman in Co Armagh a week before Christmas in 2022 has been described in a Belfast court as “planned, calculated and pre-meditated”. 32-yearold Natalie McNally was 15 weeks’ pregnant when she was attacked and killed in her Lurgan home. 36-year-old Stephen McCullagh, of Woodland Gardens in Lisburn, has denied her murder. The prosecution set out its case on Monday. Allison Morris, the Belfast Telegraph crime correspondent, reports. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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There's barely anyone in ireland that supports putins' war in ukrsine. Mick Wallace snd Claire Daly were dumped.