WOMEN shouted and cursed at a Belfast Crown Court judge yesterday as a man was jailed for five years for an attack on a 13 year old boy. Calls of "Rubbish" and "That's not justice" rang out as Judge Derick Rodgers sentenced Steven Gill (29) for his part in the assault.
In April a coaccused, Mark James Whitley, from Egmont Gardens in the Donegall Road area of Belfast, also admitted causing grievous bodily harm to the boy. Whitley was ordered to be detained in a psychiatric hospital until deemed fit to be released.
Yesterday the court was told that the day after the boy was beaten both men suffered savage attacks in their homes by gangs of men claiming to be from the UDA.
Gill, also from Egmont Gardens, pleaded guilty to kidnapping the boy on July 31st last year, to false imprisonment and to causing grievous bodily harm with intent.
Mr Peter Magill, prosecuting, told the judge the boy had been taken by force from his home at 2 a.m. and dragged to Whitley's house nearby. There he was wrongly accused of breaking into the house and stealing a poster and a hi fi.
"But police investigations found no hi fi was stolen and the poster belonged to the boy," he added.
"The boy was subjected to a series of, assaults in which a number of implements were used, assaults which went on for a considerable time and were particularly vicious.
"But it is obvious from the papers that Whitley was the prime mover in carrying out this assault and was the person who used the implements".
Judge Rodgers heard that the boy's abduction had not been reported to the police before he returned home at 6 a.m. and was taken to hospital. He had suffered severe bruising and abrasions to most parts of his body, and fractures of the left elbow and a finger.
The court was also told that both accused men had been well known to the boy's family for many years, that Whitley had stayed at the boy's home over night and that the boy frequently visited his house.
Mr Tony Cinnamond QC, for Gill, said it was clear Whitley was the prime mover and that he inflicted the injuries. "He made all the running," he added.
"Gill's admission was to being involved in taking the boy from the house and being present when the unfortunate child was detained. That is the height of his involvement.
Judge Rodgers told Gill his offences were of an extremely serious nature. "There is little one can say to make these assaults less serious, although I accept your co-accused was the ruling force behind them."
Gill was jailed for five years on each count, to run concurrently.