A teacher from Letterkenny, Co Donegal, who was accused of spying on the RUC, was sentenced to imprisonment yesterday by Belfast Crown Court.
Rose Marie McLaughlin (26), who the court was told had spied on a former RUC Special Branch head and assistant chief constable, Mr Trevor Forbes, was jailed for just under three years. As she had served an equivalent time in prison awaiting trial, she was set free.
She had also been convicted on a charge of collecting information on Bangor RUC station, two charges of IRA membership and one of plotting to collect information useful to terrorists.
Lord Justice Nicholson said the IRA had entangled the defendant in its meshes while a student at Queens' University. She would never work as a teacher in the UK again because of her convictions, and for that she should blame the IRA who had succeeded in destroying her career.