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22 Sept 2025
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22 Sept 2025
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Derry Magistrate's Court
Three men have been convicted of running an illegal lottery to raise funds for the dissident republican group the Irish Republican Prisoners Welfare Association (IRPWA) at Derry Magistrate's Court today.
Joseph Patrick Barr (37) of Sandringham Drive, Shaun Michael Given (44) of Ridgeway Drive and Gary McDaid (50) of Derrymore all in Derry were convicted after a paper contest of charges of possessing lottery tickets and conducting a lottery on dates between November 7 2019 and May 30 2021.
The court that the offences related to 'an illegal lottery on behalf of the IRPWA'.
District Judge Conor Heaney said that the bulk of the evidence against the accused had been agreed and he had been told none of the defendants would be giving evidence.
He said that he was entitled to take an adverse inference from their refusal to testify and was satisfied after reading the papers that all three defendants were guilty of both offences.
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All of the counsel for the accused said that the case was 'of some vintage'.
Judge Heaney described it as 'an unusual' case and he said he would impose a monetary penalty.
All three were fined a total of £300.
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