Tag Archives: Ballycarry

Meeting Sought with Justice Minister on Nichola Case

Ulster Unionist MLA Roy Beggs Jnr is seeking an urgent meeting with Justice Minister about the early release and parole arrangements for David McCord, the man who murdered Ballycarry woman Nichola Dickson in January 2011. Mr Beggs explained: “I have been in detailed written correspondence with Justice Minister David Ford about the sentencing, pre-release, and parole issues surrounding the McCord case.  I have also been asking questions at Stormont- as has my party leader Mike Nesbitt.  There still are however unanswered questions, and major discrepancies between what is being said now in late 2013, and what was said in 2004 at the time of McCord’s sentencing.  I am waiting for a response to my request to take Nichola’s mother and brother- Linda and Gareth to have a face to face meeting with the Minister, to follow up the meeting we had with the Attorney General 3 weeks ago.” The East … Continue reading

Posted in Press Releases | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Roy to Meet Attorney General on Nichola Dickson Case

Commenting on the early release of the murderer of Ballycarry woman Nichola Dickson, Roy Beggs MLA has criticised the pre-release system- which has seen the prisoner effectively released 6 months prior to the expiry of his 11 year minimum ‘life’ sentence. The Ulster Unionist Party’s East Antrim MLA will meet the Attorney General on Thursday 14th November with Nichola’s mother and brother to discuss this case in the context of guidelines for life sentence tariffs in Northern Ireland. Mr Beggs commented: “It seems no time at all since the controversy around the lenient sentence handed out to the murderer of Nichola Dickson in Ballycarry in my constituency of East Antrim.  That fact in itself shows that the life sentence handed down in this case makes a mockery of the term ‘life sentence’.  The murderer was sentenced in June 2004 with a minimum tariff of 11 years which meant that with time … Continue reading

Posted in Press Releases | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Need for Two Separate Schools for Islandmagee and Ballycarry Highlighted

Ulster Unionist MLA for East Antrim Roy Beggs Jnr has written to Minister for Education pointing out an historic underspend on new school buildings in East Antrim, and the continuing need for separate primary schools in Islandmagee and Ballycarry. In his correspondence the UUP MLA states: “Since 1999, my constituency has been very badly neglected at primary school level in terms of new/ replacement school buildings, with only 1 project built (St MacNissis Maintained Primary School, Larne) at a cost of £1.21M. This contrasts very unfavourably with the neighbouring constituency of North Antrim which has had 11 new build Primary Schools at a cost of £24.85M (AQW19810/11-15). The spend in East Antrim has been the lowest in the whole of Northern Ireland.” Mr Beggs said healthy birthrate in both the Ballycarry ward and Islandmagee wards support the case that two schools are sustainable in the area. “The figures for live … Continue reading

Posted in Children and young people, Press Releases | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment