Who is Gary Haggarty? ‘Supergrass’ and Ulster Volunteer Force former leader given reduced murder sentence for helping police
FORMER paramilitary thug Gary Haggarty could be free in just three years despite admitting a series of murders - because he turned police supergrass.
Here's what you need to know about his hundreds of terrorist crimes and why he got a reduced sentence.
Who is Gary Haggarty?
Gary Haggarty, now 46, was a local commander in the Ulster Volunteer Force, a brutal Loyalist paramilitary group in Northern Ireland.
He rose to the rank of "provost marshal" and led a UVF unit in North Belfast's Mount Vernon district, running a campaign of terror targeting Catholics and the police in the 1990s.
At the same time he was also a police informant helping Special Branch officers investigating the sectarian conflict known as The Troubles.
The UVF declared a ceasefire in October 1994 but its members are believed to have continued violence and killings, mainly as part of feuds with rival Protestant paramilitary groups.
In June 2017, Haggarty pleaded guilty to a total of 202 crimes relating to his UVF activities, including five murders.
He had been interviewed more than 1,000 times in one of Northern Ireland's most complex ever cases, and gave information on fellow paramilitaries.
In January 2018 Haggarty was jailed for six-and-a-half years as part of a "peace process" deal offering a significantly reduced sentence in return for giving evidence against other terror suspects.
What crimes did Gary Haggarty commit?
Judge Mr Justice Adrian Colton QC said Haggarty was "involved in a terrorist campaign over a 16-year period that has resulted in deaths for which he was directly responsible".
He added: "The organisation he supported and assisted has resulted in untold damage to individual lives and society as a whole."
Haggarty admitted 202 offences including five murders, five attempted murders, 23 counts of conspiracy to murder, one charge of aiding and abetting murder, four kidnaps, four charges of directing terrorism and various weapons and assault charges.
Haggarty murdered one victim, John Harbinson, 39, by beating him to death with a hammer in May 1997.
He shot Sean McParland, 55, in front of his young grandchildren in February 1994.
The UVF had suspected Mr McPartland was giving information to Special Branch, and Haggarty volunteered to kill him to "prove himself" and protect his own position as a grass.
Six months later Catholic builder Sean McDermott, 37, was abducted by a UVF gang and was found shot dead in his car near Antrim.
Haggarty admitted his part in the murder by supplying the weapon.
His other two victims were Catholic workmen Eamon Fox, 44, and Gary Convie, 24, who were shot dead as they ate lunch in their van in Belfast in May 1994.
Haggarty organised the weapon and walked the gunman to the scene.
The judge said the victims were "soft targets" chosen because of their religion, adding: "This was a terrorist offence and part of an ongoing sectarian campaign, which rendered the offences especially grave."
Haggarty also pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting the murder of Catholic voluntary worker Peter McTasney, 26, who was shot dead at home in front of his three-year-old daughter in February 1991.
The five attempted murder charges included bids to kill policemen, Belfast crown court heard.
Another 300 offences were "taken into consideration", meaning he won't be prosecuted for those in future.
Why did Gary Haggarty get such a short sentence?
Mr Justice Colton sentenced Haggarty to life with at least 35 years in jail.
But this was reduced by 75 per cent for his assistance to prosecutors and a further 25 per cent for his guilty pleas.
That resulted in a minimum tariff of six-and-a-half years behind bars.
He was also entitled to credit for the 1,186 days he had already spent in protective custody, leaving him just over three years to serve.
Legal sources said he could be free within weeks, and will then enter a witness protection scheme.
Eamon Fox's son Kieran claimed Haggarty was a UVF "serial killer" who was allowed by police to murder at will.
He said outside court: "How could a man involved in that many crimes be set free into society?"
Mr Justice Colton said Haggarty's case was one of "exceptional gravity" but that the former terrorist had given "substantial" assistance to prosecutors.
He said Haggarty had not had a Road to Damascus conversion and was motivated by self-interest.
But he said informants faced torture and execution if caught by those they had grassed on, and their evidence was a check against the belief that such people were "untouchable".
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There was controversy over Haggarty's role as an informant last year when it emerged 13 suspects implicated by him, including two former police intelligence officers, would not be prosecuted.
Northern Ireland's Public Prosecution Service said there was insufficient corroborating evidence to support the allegations.
So far just one man is to be put on trial, for two murders, off the back of Haggarty's evidence.
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