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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| Two charged with UDA boss murder | Two charged with UDA boss murder |
| (about 4 hours later) | |
| Two Antrim men have appeared in court charged with murdering a loyalist paramilitary leader in October 2000. | Two Antrim men have appeared in court charged with murdering a loyalist paramilitary leader in October 2000. |
| The charges follow a new investigation into the murder of Ulster Defence Association chief Tommy English. | The charges follow a new investigation into the murder of Ulster Defence Association chief Tommy English. |
| Samuel Higgins, 32, of The Meadow, and Philip Laffin, 31, from Bridge Street, were remanded in custody, neither man having applied for bail. | Samuel Higgins, 32, of The Meadow, and Philip Laffin, 31, from Bridge Street, were remanded in custody, neither man having applied for bail. |
| A detective sergeant told Belfast Magistrates Court he believed he could connect both men with the charges. | A detective sergeant told Belfast Magistrates Court he believed he could connect both men with the charges. |
| Four other men, including alleged police agent Mark Haddock, have also appeared in court charged in connection with Tommy English's murder. | Four other men, including alleged police agent Mark Haddock, have also appeared in court charged in connection with Tommy English's murder. |
| Samuel Higgins faces further counts of hijacking, false imprisonment and membership of the Ulster Volunteer Force between 1996 and 2000. | Samuel Higgins faces further counts of hijacking, false imprisonment and membership of the Ulster Volunteer Force between 1996 and 2000. |
| The court was also told a charge of kidnapping against Laffin had been withdrawn. | The court was also told a charge of kidnapping against Laffin had been withdrawn. |
| Both men were arrested as part of inquiries by the Historical Enquiries Team - a specialist police unit set up to investigate unsolved killings throughout the Northern Ireland conflict. | Both men were arrested as part of inquiries by the Historical Enquiries Team - a specialist police unit set up to investigate unsolved killings throughout the Northern Ireland conflict. |
| Charged | Charged |
| Meanwhile, two 32-year-old men are to appear in court in Belfast on Thursday, charged with murdering Mr English. | |
| One of the men also faces a charge of membership of a proscribed organisation. | |
| Mr English, 40, was part of a loyalist delegation which took part in talks at Stormont prior to the 1998 Good Friday Agreement. | Mr English, 40, was part of a loyalist delegation which took part in talks at Stormont prior to the 1998 Good Friday Agreement. |
| He was shot dead in front of his wife at their home on the Ballyduff Estate, Newtownabbey on Halloween night, during a feud between rival UDA and UVF factions which claimed seven lives. | He was shot dead in front of his wife at their home on the Ballyduff Estate, Newtownabbey on Halloween night, during a feud between rival UDA and UVF factions which claimed seven lives. |
| Two brothers last month admitted aiding and abetting the murder of Mr English. | |
| A total of five men have been charged with murder and are awaiting trial. |