NI courts roundup as violent abuser among those sentenced
NI courts roundup as violent abuser among those sentenced
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NI courts roundup as violent abuser among those sentenced

Orlaith Clinton 🕒︎ 2025-11-04

Copyright belfastlive

NI courts roundup as violent abuser among those sentenced

Northern Ireland courts were not as busy this week due to recess - however some cases were still heard across various court rooms. The victim of a domestic abuser, waived her right to anonymity , in hope that it would encourage other victims to come forward. Iwona Giza is a qualified medical doctor. She is 28-years-old and has this week waived her right to anonymity to speak out and encourage more victims to seek justice. On October 23 this year at Dungannon Crown Court, 41-year-old Barry Maguire from Omagh was sentenced to five years, half to be spent in custody and the remaining on license, for domestic abuse offences against Iwona including five counts of non-fatal strangulation. He received a five year sentence for each of the offences, all to be served concurrently. Here's a roundup of the cases heard in courts this week, October 27-31: Man accused of harassing Stephen Nolan went to BBC with hammer A Belfast man accused of harassing broadcaster Stephen Nolan allegedly demanded to speak to him while carrying a hammer, a court heard on Monday. Robert Beck turned up at BBC buildings in the city after repeatedly attempting to deliver threatening letters to the radio and television presenter, police claimed. The 62-year-old, of Bloomfield Crescent, was detained again at the weekend less than 24 hours after being released on separate allegations of pestering loyalist activist Jamie Bryson. Read more here. Man denies terrorist offences linked to huge PSNI data breach A man on trial for terrorist offences linked to a PSNI data breach has denied any involvement in "illegal, malicious or nefarious" activity. The data breach occurred on August 8, 2023, when – under a Freedom of Information request – the PSNI released the names of more than 10,000 staff and officers by mistake. Ten days later Christopher Paul O'Kane, who described himself as the former national secretary of Saoradh, was arrested. The 52-year old, from Iniscarn Road in Derry , denies four terrorist offences dating back to August 2023. Read more here. Violent abuser filmed woman as he forced her to eat food off floor A violent Northern Ireland man was sentenced to five years, half to be spent in custody, after subjecting a woman to a controlling, cruel, and demoralising acts. 28-year-old Iwona Giza, who is a qualified medical doctor, this week waived her right to anonymity. At Dungannon Crown Court on October 23, 41-year-old Barry Maguire from Omagh , was sentenced to five years, half to be spent in custody and the remaining on license, for domestic abuse offences against Iwona including five counts of non-fatal strangulation. He received a five year sentence for each of the offences, all to be served concurrently. Read more here. Accused 'pulled tourist to ground while sister kicked him', court told Four people accused of involvement in a racially motivated assault on two tourists in Belfast city centre have been refused bail. Connil Rice, 34, Cian Quinn, 28, and sisters Lucy Reid, 38, and Victoria Reid, 22, appeared before Belfast Magistrates’ Court on Thursday charged in connection with the attack on the two men. The tourists were assaulted at around 11pm on Tuesday night in the Royal Avenue area of the city centre. Read more here. Sex offender used apps to arrange 'hook-ups' with underage boys, court told A convicted sex offender allegedly used dating app Grindr in a bid to make contact with underage boys and to arrange a series of prohibited “hook-ups”, a court heard on Thursday. Police also claimed a device seized from Lee Harper, 31, contained dozens of illegal images of children and nearly 130,000 contacts. Details emerged as he was refused bail based on the high risk of carrying out further offences. Harper, with a hostel address at Edward Street in Portadown , has been charged with attempted sexual communication with a child, and making and possessing indecent photographs. Read more here. Pet hotel owner who neglected dozens of dogs avoids jail A Co Antrim woman who neglected the needs of almost 40 dogs in an “absolutely shocking case” was handed a 10-month prison sentence on Thursday, suspended for three years. Sentencing Paula McIvor at Lisburn Magistrates Court, District Judge Rosie Watters told the 43-year-old "it’s an absolutely shocking case…it’s certainly one of the most shocking cases I have ever dealt with". The judge told McIvor it was clear that while running the Waggies Pet Hotel, she had taken in people’s beloved pets but instead of caring for them properly, her business was effectively, "a licence to print money" Read more here. Woman's “catastrophic” injuries after metal sign fell on her outside coffee shop A woman sustained “catastrophic” injuries when a metal sign fell on top of her as she sat outside a Co Antrim coffee shop, the High Court heard. The 45-year-old suffered paralysis and is expected to require a wheelchair for the rest of her life. Details emerged as a judge ruled that four separate firms being sued over the serious accident must each contribute equally to an initial payment of nearly £1.7m in damages. Read more here. For all the latest news, visit the Belfast Live homepage here and sign up to our daily newsletter here.

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