THE Master of a Scottish Orange lodge tried to help a loyalist politician, Lindsay Robb, to get out of jail. A court in Scotland heard yesterday that he used the name of Billy Wright to threaten a vital witness in an effort to force him to change his evidence which helped jail Robb, a member of the Progressive Unionist Party, for 10 years.
Alexander McKinlay (36), of Camelon, Falkirk, yesterday admitted attempting to pervert the course of justice.
McKinlay, a father of two tried to force Mr Michael Anderson, a vital prosecution witness at Robb's trial in 1995, to say he gave false evidence to help clear Robb when he appealed last year against his sentence and gains conviction for conspiring to smuggle arms to the outlawed Ulster Volunteer Force.
Falkirk High Court heard that McKinlay was friendly with Robb, who once sat in on the Northern Ireland peace talks, and had visited him in jail.
When he heard that Robb, and William McArthur (41), of Bonnybridge, who got eight years, were appealing, he decided to frighten Mr Anderson into changing his story.
But Mr Anderson's trial evidence had nothing at all to do with the men's grounds for appeal, which they lost, the court heard.
Advocate depute Mr John Morris QC told the High Court that McKinlay was Master of his local Orange Lodge in Camelon, Falkirk. Mr Anderson was a flute playing member of the lodge.
McKinlay, a metal worker, went to Mr Anderson's home and told him he had "a message from over the water" and asked him to sign an affidavit at his lawyer's office that his trial evidence had been false.
McKinlay told him: "You know what the boys are like. They can be heavy.
He reminded Mr Anderson that his father's home in Lurgan, Co Armagh, had been firebombed.
The advocate depute told the court that Mr Anderson took this as "an implied threat".
McKinlay returned to Mr Anderson's home a few days later and told him he was expecting a phone call from "across the water" about his response to signing the affidavit.
In a stalling move, Mr Anderson told McKinlay he was making an appointment with his lawyer.
Instead, said Mr Morris, he phoned his father in Northern Ireland, who alerted police. The Scottish Special Support Unit moved into the Camelon house with specialist equipment.
McKinlay again went to the home of Mr Anderson, who told him his lawyer had advised him not to sign an untrue statement.
McKinlay then told him that Billy Wright would "deal with his family".
McKinlay, after questioning by police, finally admitted threatening Mr Anderson but stressed: "I did this off my own bat. No one else was involved."
He told police: "It was wrong and stupid. I never intended to harm anyone."
Mr Bob Henderson QC, defending, said Mr Anderson became a prosecution witness against Robb band five other men after he himself had been arrested and detained for seven days under the Prevention of Terrorism Act.
McKinlay was given bail until his sentence at Greenock High Court on March 27th.