The BelTel

In the early 2000s, Peter and Iris Robinson were seen as Northern Ireland’s political power couple. Iris, known for her strong Christian values, secretly had an affair with 19-year-old Kirk McCambley, whose late father had entrusted her with his care. In 2008, she helped McCambley secure over £50,000 to open a café, allegedly taking £5,000 for herself—money she failed to declare as required in her role as a councillor. The affair and financial misconduct, once exposed, caused a political and media storm, shocking the public.  Olivia Peden revisits this explosive scandal with The Belfast Telegraph’s Suzanne Breen and Sam McBride.

Richard Satchwell has been given a life sentence for the brutal murder of his wife, Tina Satchwell. In March 2017, Satchwell began a media tour, saying that she was missing, but he believed she was alive. In reality, he had killed her, keeping her body in a freezer before burying her remains in their home. Her remains were undiscovered for six and a half years. Garda believe that he murdered Tina in fear of her finding out that he had become involved in a scam to obtain two pet monkeys. Olivia Peden is joined by the Irish Independent’s Ralph Riegel.

Northern Ireland is officially the most dangerous place in the UK to be a journalist. A new report published by Amnesty International this week says that journalists here are working in a ‘climate of fear’ with numerous death threats against them. The report says that there have been over 70 incidents of threats or attacks against journalists since the start of 2019. Olivia Peden is joined by Allison Morris and Ciaran Barnes to uncover what working as a journalist under threat in Northern Ireland is really like. 

Social media became alight this week after French president Emmanuel Macron was caught on camera seemingly being slapped by his wife Brigitte. An awkward smile and wave when he realised the slap had been noticed just fuelled the rumours. The couple, who met when Brigitte Macron was then 15-year-old Emmanuel’s drama teacher, have long fascinated the public. The First Lady has also been subject to one of the most bizarre conspiracy theories out there. Ciarán Dunbar is joined by Paris-based Journalist Catherine Field.

A jury in Dublin has awarded Gerry Adams €100,000 in damages. The former Sinn Féin leader won his High Court defamation action against the BBC on Friday morning. It followed a five-week defamation trial. The jury agreed with Mr Adams that a BBC Spotlight programme, defamed him by alleging he sanctioned the killing of former Sinn Fein official Denis Donaldson – he has always denied any involvement. Mark Tighe reports.

UVF commander Winston ‘Winkie’ Irvine has been jailed after being caught with guns. He was sentenced to 30 months with half served on license after being caught with weapons and ammunition in the boot of his car. The judge said Irvine’s work as a ‘peacemaker’ meant that the minimum five-year tariff was inappropriate after glowing references from high-profile government and security officials were heard in court. Ciarán Dunbar is joined by Sam McBride. 

The latest Belfast Telegraph Lucid Talk polling shows sharp divisions on some touchstone societal issues. Among the issues surveyed in the latest poll were whether rap band Kneecap should be banned from performing at Belfast Vital, assisted dying and the Supreme Court’s ruling on gender and defining what a woman is. In terms of party political support, the poll reveals the DUP are still in a rut and that power in Stormont is taking the shine off Sinn Féin.  Ciarán Dunbar joined by the Belfast Telegraph’s political editor Suzanne Breen. If you enjoy The BelTel, please leave us a review.

Kincora was a home for vulnerable boys in east Belfast – but controlled by paedophiles. It was a place where dozens of boys and teenagers were abused. It was run by William McGrath, a leading loyalist. McGrath has long been believed to have been an MI5 agent – and the agency has long been accused of endeavouring to cover up what happened. But perhaps the most shocking allegation to come out of the home – some of the victims believe that they were abused by Lord Mountbatten - a mentor to King Charles.   Chris Moore’s new book is entitled Britain’s Shame – Mountbatten, MI5, the Belfast Boys’ Home Sex Abuse Scandal and the British Cover-Up.  He joined Ciarán Dunbar in the studio.

A jury in a Dublin court has heard a third week of evidence in the Gerry Adams defamation trial. The former Sinn Féin leader is suing the BBC over a claim made in a Spotlight program – that he gave the go ahead for Dennis Donaldson to be murdered. Gerry Adams vehemently denies any involvement in the killing.  Mark Tighe joined Ciarán Dunbar.