Man (28) charged with murder of Sarah Montgomery in Co Down
Sarah Montgomery
in
Co Down
.
Zak Hughes (28) from Ardglen Place in north Belfast, is also charged with child destruction.
Ms Montgomery (27) who was due to give birth next month and is the mother of two young girls, was found dead in her home at Elmfield Walk, Donaghadee, on Saturday.
On Wednesday, Mr Hughes stood in the dock handcuffed at Newtownards Magistrates' Court and spoke only to confirm his name and that he understood the charges, which relate to June 27th.
READ MORE
A senior officer with the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) said he believed he could connect the accused to the charges.
There was no bail application and district judge Conor Heaney adjourned the case until July 30th.
A 42-year-old woman, who was arrested in Belfast on suspicion of assisting an offender, was released unconditionally on Tuesday.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Irish Times
3 hours ago
- Irish Times
Former HSE employee who acted as getaway driver for Lisa Thompson's killer is jailed
A former HSE addiction counsellor has been jailed for two years for acting as a getaway driver for the 'violent and abusive thug' who murdered mother-of-two Lisa Thompson, with a judge noting the defendant 'had not fully come to terms' with her role in the crime. Sentencing judge Mr Justice Patrick McGrath said that this was a 'difficult case' and there was no doubt Deirdre Arnold (42) was subjected to appalling domestic abuse and considerable violence at the hands of Brian McHugh during the course of their relationship. However, the judge found it could not be said that she didn't have a choice in deciding what she did on the day in question. Mr Justice McGrath said he had to take into account that Arnold was under McHugh's 'dominion', was the subject of abuse and was fearful of him. READ MORE The Central Criminal Court heard that Arnold, who in a 'terrible twist of fate' became addicted to heroin and crack cocaine after meeting McHugh, had previously made domestic abuse complaints and got an interim barring order against him. Lisa Thompson (52) was found dead in her home in Ballymun. Photograph: Colin Keegan, Collins Dublin In March this year, Brian McHugh (40), with a former address at Cairn Court, Poppintree, Ballymun in Dublin 11 was jailed for life for murdering 52-year-old Ms Thompson, after a jury found he had inflicted 11 stab wounds to her chest and wrapped a blind cord around her neck. In a separate trial last April, a jury agreed with the prosecution that Arnold was not an 'innocent abroad' and had 'decided at every turn' to assist her then-partner McHugh, whom she knew to have murdered mother-of-two Ms Thompson. The jury unanimously accepted the State's case that Arnold impeded McHugh's prosecution by driving him to Ms Thompson's home at Sandyhill Gardens in Ballymun on May 9th 2022, where she waited outside for 'well over an hour' before driving him away from the scene. Arnold later checked McHugh into the Clayton Hotel near Dublin Airport in an effort to help him evade prosecution. It was also the prosecution's case that the defendant allowed her silver Hyundai Tucson to be used to dispose of evidence taken from Ms Thompson's home. Before delivering the sentence today, Mr Justice McGrath said Arnold was in a very abusive relationship with McHugh and there was no doubt he was particularly aggressive and violent to her on a number of occasions. 'To some extent she was under his dominion and became a user of heroin, no doubt due to the appalling abuse he visited on her in the course of their relationship,' he added. Brian McHugh, of Cairn Court, Poppintree in Ballymun, was found guilty of murdering Lisa Thompson (52) in May 2022 The judge went on to say the court had heard that McHugh had allegedly broken Arnold's arm by holding it on the bottom of a stairway and stamping on it. Mr Justice McGrath said McHugh had also made threats against Arnold's children and behaved in a 'monstrous fashion' towards her in their relationship. Passing sentence on Friday, Mr Justice McGrath said he had been provided with a book of mitigation on behalf of the defendant. Referring to a letter from Arnold, the judge said he accepted it was a genuine expression of remorse on her part, where she said she wished she had acted differently or recognised the warning signs from McHugh. The judge said Arnold also outlined in her letter that she didn't expect forgiveness but wanted the Thompson family to know she was truly sorry for their loss and would never forget the consequences of that day. Mr Justice McGrath pointed out that Arnold's daughter had also written a letter to the court, where she called the defendant a devoted mother and said she was 'the glue that holds the family together'. A senior investigating officer had told the jury that details of the ligature and strangulation of Ms Thompson had not been released into the public domain in June 2022. The judge said on Friday that Arnold had not fully come to terms with her role in this matter. The judge said Arnold had provided 'a considerable degree of assistance' by her presence at Sandyhill Gardens, when she was the driver of the getaway car. The judge said Arnold's prospects for future employment had been considerably reduced, with no chance of employment in any public sector job. Arnold's defence counsel, Mr Patrick Gageby SC, told her sentence hearing last month that his client had since resigned from her State job and is the sole financial support for her three children. The judge said Arnold has some insight into the matter and he had been told she would not be appealing the verdict. Referring to the two victim impact statements read to the court by the deceased's sister Ashley Duckett, Mr Justice McGrath said Ms Duckett had referred to the devastating impact which the loss of Ms Thompson has had on her life and had also noted the absence of any remorse from both defendants 'as adding to their pain'. The judge noted there was 'significant mitigation' in the case including that Arnold was a middle-aged woman of good character, an excellent mother who provided fully for her children and was a hard worker. 'Whilst not fully accepting the part she played in the matter she has expressed remorse and I accept that's genuine,' he added. Having considered mitigation, the judge reduced the headline sentence of five years to three years.


Sunday World
11 hours ago
- Sunday World
‘Scapaticci Clause' being used to shut down questions about ‘Winkie' Irvine
Irvine's conviction continues to create ongoing tensions within the UVF, the loyalist terror group to which he belonged. A procedure once condemned by PSNI Chief Constable Jon Boutcher is being used to shut down questions about Winston 'Winkie' Irvine, the Sunday World can reveal. And the 'Scapaticci Clause' — as the process is known informally to members of the legal profession in Northern Ireland — is also being used by the Court Service. One of its functions at present, it appears, is to deny the release of information relating to the recently convicted gunrunner Winston 'Winkie' Irvine. All this is taking place while the fallout from Irvine's conviction continues to create ongoing tensions within the UVF, the loyalist terror group to which he belonged. At a recent hush-hush meeting of the UVF's 'B Coy' in a Shankill Road social club, Irvine was shown the red card by the very men he once commanded. UVF leaders sat stoney-faced while foot soldiers listed a litany of complaints against the former 'B Coy' boss. Several respected loyalists demanded to know how Irvine went from street rioter who sparked a bloody internecine feud with the UDA in 2000 to the very top of the UVF. Shankill man 'Harmless' Harry Stockman — who is believed to hold the rank of No2 in the loyalist terror group hierarchy and is seen as a supporter of Irvine — failed to attend the meeting. Instead, Stockman left it to veteran UVF boss John 'Bunter' Graham to deal with rank-and-file unrest. The fury felt among the organisation's First Battalion — which exerts influence throughout the greater Shankill — cannot be over-stated, sources say. John 'Bunter' Graham It is believed Graham — now in his early 80s — had been planning an exit strategy as he headed towards retirement, but any move to stand down at the moment would be viewed with suspicion inside the secretive world of the UVF. Before taking over the reins of the PSNI, Chief Constable Jon Boutcher headed the Kenova Inquiry, which investigated allegations of state collusion inside the Provisional IRA's Internal Security Unit, also known as 'The Nutting Squad'. And he often criticised official state policy of 'neither confirming or denying', more commonly known as NCND orders. But many legal eagles now believe the police service he commands has arguably adopted a similar information policy once heavily criticised by the PSNI supremo. And they have given it the unofficial title of the 'Scappaticci Clause' — after Belfast-born Freddie Scappaticci who, after he was recruited by the British Secret Service, successfully operated at the very top of the IRA for decades. This is because the public first became aware of the state's practice of repeatedly 'neither confirming or denying' inquiries relating to the agent codenamed 'Stakeknife'. Jon Boutcher is on record as stating he disagreed with the policy, as it created a climate of suspicion and conspiracy. Freddie Scappaticci While giving evidence to the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee last year, Mr Boutcher said: 'By this Iron-Curtain approach it leads to a lack of trust and confidence towards the security forces. It is unnecessary and the world has moved on from that.' But despite Boutcher's assertion that the 'world has moved on' from the use of the so-called Scappaticci Clause, last week the PSNI used a similar strategy to block Sunday World inquiries into secret information the PSNI held on Irvine, also known until 2007 as Winston Gibney. Two weeks ago, the Sunday World revealed the UVF man had changed his name by deed poll from the ancient Irish one of Gibney to Irvine because he believed his original name was 'too Catholic'. The Sunday World had written to the PSNI with a number of queries relating to the man now known as Winston Irvine. Initially the PSNI press office ignored our communication. When pressed, a curt reply was issued in bold print stating: 'We have no further comment to make in relation to this matter.' Deed poll notice Winston 'Winkie' Irvine The Sunday World made a similar request, linked to the legal entities known as Winston Irvine and Winston Gibney, to the Court Service of Northern Ireland. sensitive In a written reply, the Court Service Communications department used three separate legal clauses to invoke its right to use the term 'neither confirm nor deny'. And the Court Service also stated that to 'confirm or deny... would in itself disclose sensitive or potentially damaging information'. But local lawyers we canvassed over the responses from the PSNI and Court Service said the strategy would do nothing to instil public confidence. One said: 'It looks like the Scappaticci Clause is here to stay.' Since our exclusive that Winkie Irvine's true identity had been hidden from even his closest associates in loyalism, many activists on the Shankill Road are demanding answers. The want to know about Irvine's identity and background, as well as why he was able to survive for as long as he did. Many UVF 'A Coy' men claim suspicions around Irvine alone were enough to have him stripped of any protection he had from the loyalist organisation. 'Good men have been labelled touts for less,' a veteran UVF man told us. But the strongest vitriol was used in connection with members of the UVF leadership, who went out of their way to afford Irvine protection.


Extra.ie
12 hours ago
- Extra.ie
Marian Price sues Disney over Say Nothing series
Old Bailey bomber Marian Price has sued Disney over an allegation in its Say Nothing series that she shot dead Jean McConville. The veteran Republican, also known as Marian McGlinchey, has previously denied firing the shots that killed the mother of ten more than 50 years ago. Ms McGlinchey, a former member of the Provisional IRA, claimed through her lawyers that she had 'no alternative' but to sue The Walt Disney Company Ltd and Minim Productions Ltd. Marian Price. Pic: George Sweeney/REX/Shutterstock Say Nothing, a nine-part Disney+ series, focused on the life of her late sister, Dolours Price. The pair were convicted for their part in the IRA car-bomb attack on London's Old Bailey in 1973. A plenary summons in Ms McGlinchey's defamation case was filed at the High Court in Dublin on Wednesday, and yesterday her solicitors, Belfast-based Phoenix Law, confirmed that legal proceedings are under way. It said these followed 'the egregious and defamatory allegations levelled at our client in the Say Nothing series'. Jean McConville. Pic: REX/Shutterstock The legal firm continued: 'Both entities have failed to take steps to rectify their actions, causing continuing and untold damage and harm to our client. 'Our client has therefore been left with no alternative but to issue formal legal proceedings to establish the truth and to protect her reputation.' Solicitor Victoria Haddock stated: 'Our client should not be placed in the position of having to take formal legal action to vindicate her reputation. Marian Price. Pic: Niall Carson/PA Wire 'Despite multiple opportunities to address the defamatory content of the Say Nothing series, Disney and Minim Productions have failed to take any step to do so. 'There is no justification for making abhorrent accusations under the guise of entertainment and we will be seeking to hold all responsible parties to account.' Ms McConville was abducted, murdered and secretly buried by the IRA in 1972, after being accused by the IRA of passing information to British forces. Her body was found at Shelling Hill beach in Co. Louth, in 2003. In 1999, the IRA acknowledged it had killed Ms McConville and eight others of the Disappeared. A report by the Police Ombudsman found no evidence that she had ever been an informer. At the launch of the series last year, Disney described Say Nothing as 'a gripping story of murder and memory in Northern Ireland during The Troubles'. Say Nothing is based on the 2018 book of the same name by Patrick Radden Keefe, a staff writer at The New Yorker magazine. In an interview last December, he said he was 'completely certain' Marian McGlinchey was the third member of an IRA team who killed Ms McConville. At the time the book was published, Ms McGlinchey released a statement through solicitor Peter Corrigan, also of Phoenix Law. He said: 'My client Marian Price vehemently denies any involvement in the murder of Jean McConville. No legal action followed the publication of the book.