Leading campaigner Winston ‘Winky’ Irwin pleads guilty to arms and ammunition charges – The Irish News

LEADING gunman Winston ‘Winky’ Irvine and other defendants have pleaded guilty to firearms and ammunition offences.

Irvine (49), of Ballysilan Road, north Belfast, and Robin Workman (53), of Shore Road in Larne, Co Antrim, were due to stand trial on Monday at Belfast Crown Court before a judge sitting alone without a jury.

However, after legal discussions, Irvine attorney Brenda Campbell K.S. and Michael Borrelli K.S. for Workman, both filed motions to have their clients retried on all charges against them.

Standing in the dock surrounded by prison officers, both men admitted to possessing firearms and ammunition under suspicious circumstances.

They also admitted two counts of possession of a pistol without a certificate, one count of possession of ammunition without a certificate, possession of a prohibited weapon and possession of a firearm without a certificate.

Workman also pleaded guilty to possessing a .177 caliber air rifle without a firearms certificate.

All offenses were committed on June 8, 2022.

The defendants previously pleaded not guilty to all charges when they were first arraigned in August this year.

Judge Gordon Kerr KC said that as the offenses automatically exceeded the custodial threshold, Irvine and Workman were entitled to have pre-sentence reports prepared by the NI Probation Board.

Both Ms Campbell and Mr Borrelli said they would not request their clients’ pre-sentence reports and would provide their own documents to the court in due course.

Judge Kerr asked defense lawyers: “As I said, these offenses are above the custodial threshold, I take it that you want your clients to remain on bail pending sentencing?”

Senior defense attorneys answered yes.

The prosecutor’s office did not object to the defendants remaining on bail.

“I will continue their bail on the same terms,” ​​Judge Kerr said.

“But they have to be aware of the fact that it might not work when they come back.”

Irwin and Workman will be sentenced on January 23, 2025.

Details of the circumstances of the crime were not provided in court.

But earlier court hearings claimed Workman transported a number of weapons and ammunition to the Glencairn area of ​​Belfast in his van, which the PSNI believe was then placed in the boot of Irvine’s Volkswagen Tiguan.

Irwin’s car was stopped in Disraeli Street and a search of the boot revealed two pistols, an air gun, magazines and over 200 rounds of ammunition inside a leather case.

Belfast Magistrates’ Court heard in June this year that on June 8, 2022, police recognized Mr Irvine in a parked car in the area.

He said he spoke to Workman before closing the trunk of his car and driving off, Crown counsel told the court.

Police arrested Mr Irwin a short time later and when asked if there was anything in the car that he could not explain, Irwin said “a bag in the boot”.

A long-barreled firearm, two believed to be handguns, several magazines and a large quantity of ammunition were found in a bag in the trunk.