Crime World

The murder of Pat Finucane is one of the most notorious of the Troubles. The 39-year-old Belfast solicitor was shot dead at his family home in north Belfast in 1989 by UDA gunmen. A series of investigations revealed collusion with the state. The first hearing of a public inquiry into the killing is set to take place soon – with Sir Gary Hickinbottom as chairman of the inquiry. Pat Finucane’s family, including his son, Sinn Fein MP John Finucane, has long fought for an inquiry into the case to be opened.  

 Jonathan Gill's latest court appearance, a family divided in two by a son's brutal killing of his allegedly abusive mother, wife killer Joe O'Reilly graduates from a university course in jail, and a prison watchdog boss has custom-made pillows designed of a killer's face. Eimear Rabbitt is joined by Neil Fetherston as we discuss the biggest stories on Crime World this week.

Newry Crown Court has heard Jeffrey Donaldson sent a message to a minister supporting one of his alleged victims, saying he wanted to “repent before them as he had before God.” The husband of an alleged victim in the abuse trial has broken down as he gave evidence on Thursday.  63-year-old former MP Jeffrey Donaldson has pleaded not guilty to all the 18 charges he is facing, they include rape and several counts of gross indecency and of indecent assault. His wife Eleanor Donaldson, from Dublinhill Road in Dromore, County Down denies several charges of aiding and abetting her husband’s alleged offending.  She is facing a trial of the facts.  Allison Morris is covering the trial for the Belfast Telegraph.

Siblings Bridie and Patrick Collins have spent 26 years trying to find their missing sister Sandra who vanished on a December night in 2000 from the small fishing village of Killala in County Mayo.Over the past year, the Crime World team has been delving into the story of Sandra in the hopes of unearthing information that might lead gardai to her remains.Nicola talks with Bridie and Patrick about Ghost: The Disappearance of Sandra Collins and their ongoing efforts to find her.

Troubles with wedding dress shopping in an electronic tag, sports stars finding themselves on the wrong side of the law, and the week’s most bizarre story.This is a Crime World weekly round up from crimeworld.com.

The heartbroken family of murdered computer science student Qayyum Balogun believe he was chased down and murdered for trying to protect a girl from an assault during a music event.The 21-year-old was stabbed to death in the early hours of Monday morning just off Grafton Street in Dublin. Nicola talks to Eimear Rabbitt about what happened to Qayyum and who the Gardai suspect in his murder.

Stephen McCullagh will do at least 31 years of jail time before he is even considered for release. 32-year-old Natalie McNally had been 15 weeks pregnant when she was subjected to a violent attack and murdered at her home in Lurgan in December 2022.  The judge, Mr Justice Kinney, told McCullagh that he committed a “brutal senseless murder and planned it in remorseless detail.” “The killing was cold blooded and calculated.”  McCullagh tried to pin the murder on Lewis Jones, Natalie’s ex-partner, after having set up a false alibi. But the jury rejected that and found McCullagh guilty of the murder at Belfast Crown Court earlier this year.  Our Bel Tel colleagues Ciaran Dunbar and Kurtis Reid discuss what happened in court for the tariff hearing.  

A new movie about the events of Bloody Sunday and the fight for justice in its aftermath is touring across the UK with huge interest from the United States and even Dubai.Made with images and footage taken on the day, interviews with those who were there in January 1972 when British army paratroopers fired on unarmed civilians, and contributions from those who have fought for justice, The Day Innocence Died has likened events in Derry with those in Palestine.Nicola speaks with Adrian Kerr of the Bloody Sunday Trust and filmmaker Hannan Majid on their collaboration which has created the box office hit.

A jury has heard a police interview recording of a woman who claims she was raped as a child by Jeffrey Donaldson. Jurors at Newry Crown Court heard allegations against the former DUP leader by a woman who claims it happened when she was at primary school. She also alleged that Donaldson arranged for her to be sent to a Christian Rehabilitation Centre and apologised to her there. Sixty-three-year-old Jeffrey Donaldson has pleaded not guilty to 18 alleged offences said to have taken place between 1985 and 2008 involving two complainants known as Witness A and B. His wife Eleanor Donaldson faces a trial of the facts on aiding and abetting allegations after the trial judge ruled her medically unfit to stand trial. Allison Morris is covering the trial for the Belfast Telegraph.