:00:00. > :00:00.That's all from us. It's goodbye from me. And on BBC One
:00:00. > :00:21.Good evening. The headlines on BBC Newsline: A dissident republican is
:00:22. > :00:25.jailed for having these guns and explosives.
:00:26. > :00:28.Police investigating the murder of Constable Ronan Kerr believe they've
:00:29. > :00:32.made a breakthrough in their search for his killers.
:00:33. > :00:37.David Cameron helps secure a multi-million-pound contract for an
:00:38. > :00:39.East Belfast firm. Peaking for the Paralympics -
:00:40. > :00:46.Northern Ireland's Kelly Gallagher clinches another gold.
:00:47. > :00:49.And with heavy rain in the forecast for some parts over next couple of
:00:50. > :00:55.days, another warning has been issued.
:00:56. > :01:01.A 36-year-old Omagh man has been sentenced to a total of ten years in
:01:02. > :01:07.prison on charges arising from a dissident republican arms haul near
:01:08. > :01:10.Coalisland in County Tyrone. The find included guns, ammunition,
:01:11. > :01:16.explosives and a wide range of bomb-making equipment, along with
:01:17. > :01:21.parts for improvised mortars. It was part of the investigation into the
:01:22. > :01:25.murder of PSNI Constable Ronan Kerr. We'll have more on the background to
:01:26. > :01:32.that in a moment. First, BBC Newsline's Mervyn Jess was in court
:01:33. > :01:36.for the sentencing. This is Gavin Coyle from Culmore Park in Omagh at
:01:37. > :01:40.an earlier court hearing. He pleaded guilty to having the guns and
:01:41. > :01:44.explosives and being in the dissident IRA. When police swooped
:01:45. > :01:47.on these industrial units at Mountjoy Road near Coalisland nearly
:01:48. > :01:51.three years ago, they could hardly believe their eyes. Concealed inside
:01:52. > :01:58.the buildings and in stolen vehicles parked inside was a significant
:01:59. > :02:00.terrorist arms haul. Amongst the weaponry were four AK-47 assault
:02:01. > :02:03.rifles and ammunition, explosives, bomb-making material including timer
:02:04. > :02:13.units, switches, incendiary devices, and parts for improvised Mark 16 and
:02:14. > :02:16.17 mortars. Today the court was told the weapons dated back to the early
:02:17. > :02:21.'80s, but they were still functional. The judge said it was
:02:22. > :02:29.very fortunate that police found the weapons before they were put to use.
:02:30. > :02:32.She also issued a destruction order on the guns and stressed that the
:02:33. > :02:35.authorities should make sure they are. Coyle stood in the dock flanked
:02:36. > :02:39.by security officers and made no comment as he was sentenced to six
:02:40. > :02:45.years for being in a terrorist organisation. He was also sentenced
:02:46. > :02:49.to ten years age on the explosives and guns charges, to run
:02:50. > :02:54.concurrently, with half in custody and have on licence. The judge said
:02:55. > :02:58.she was giving him credit for pleading guilty to a contestable
:02:59. > :03:03.case and recognised he was keeping the weaponry and explosives for
:03:04. > :03:08.others who intended to use them. Gavin Coyle made no comment as he
:03:09. > :03:11.was led away in handcuffs. Taking into consideration time spent on
:03:12. > :03:14.remand, he will spend just over two years in jail.
:03:15. > :03:17.Police believe they know the identities of the men who planned
:03:18. > :03:23.the attack on Constable Ronan Kerr and made the bomb that killed him
:03:24. > :03:25.almost three years ago. Detectives say they've established links
:03:26. > :03:28.between those responsible and 16 other incidents, including the
:03:29. > :03:34.attempted murders of two other police officers. The search that
:03:35. > :03:40.resulted in today's conviction of Gavin Coyle was part of the huge
:03:41. > :03:44.investigation into the murder. It's said to be the largest in the
:03:45. > :03:49.history of the PSNI, including the inquiry into the Omagh bombing. Our
:03:50. > :03:54.home affairs correspondent Vincent Kearney reports. A forensic officer
:03:55. > :03:57.sets a rifle against a wall. Just a small part of the largest haul of
:03:58. > :04:07.weapons and bomb-making equipment for many years. The whole includes
:04:08. > :04:11.four rifles assessed to be of the Kalashnikov variety, ammunition
:04:12. > :04:17.including six loaded rifle magazines, timer power units you
:04:18. > :04:21.sensual for the nation of improvised explosive devices, components for
:04:22. > :04:25.rocket launchers and other explosive devices, and a quantity of
:04:26. > :04:28.explosive. Police today released pictures of what they found in an
:04:29. > :04:32.industrial unit near Coalisland, and said lives had been saved. The
:04:33. > :04:35.assault rifles were in what police describe as a state of readiness.
:04:36. > :04:40.While they were rusty, each successfully fired when tested. One
:04:41. > :04:44.rifle had been separated from the others, suggesting it was being
:04:45. > :04:46.prepared for use. Magazines containing bullets had also been
:04:47. > :04:52.taped together to facilitate quick reloading. Two cars stolen weeks
:04:53. > :04:56.earlier and found inside the unit had bottles of petrol in the back
:04:57. > :05:02.seats, suggesting they were to be used in an attack and then burnt out
:05:03. > :05:06.afterwards. There were also timer power units, used to detonate bombs,
:05:07. > :05:09.and a quantity of Semtex. The search was part of a huge investigation
:05:10. > :05:12.into the murder of Constable Ronan Kerr. The 25-year-old officer was
:05:13. > :05:17.killed when a bomb exploded under his car in Omagh in April 2011. At
:05:18. > :05:24.its height, more than 100 detectives were involved. Nearly three years
:05:25. > :05:28.on, police believe they know the identity of the man who made the
:05:29. > :05:32.bomb. He's described as an experienced bomb-maker who lives in
:05:33. > :05:36.the Republic. Detectives also believe they know who led the bomb
:05:37. > :05:45.team, described as the driving force behind the plan. The scale of this
:05:46. > :05:52.investigation is vast. Nearly 8000 items have been skied -- seized,
:05:53. > :05:57.there have been 123 searches and 14 arrests. A senior detective said
:05:58. > :06:02.major progress had been made in the case against the bomb maker and in
:06:03. > :06:07.cases against three other people for a series of offences linked to the
:06:08. > :06:11.murder of Ronan Kerr. Police say they have established links between
:06:12. > :06:16.the killing and 16 other incidents, all carried out by a group of 20 to
:06:17. > :06:28.25 members of the dissident republican group referred to as the
:06:29. > :06:34.new IRA. These include the attempted murders of two other police
:06:35. > :06:39.officers, including a fluent Irish speaker and captain of the police G
:06:40. > :06:49.18, who was injured when a bomb exploded under his car four years
:06:50. > :06:54.ago. The state the group responsible consists of individuals from Tyrone
:06:55. > :07:00.and in the Republic, Monaghan and sloth. The police today described
:07:01. > :07:03.the conviction of Gavin Coyle for possessing the guns and explosives
:07:04. > :07:05.found in the industrial unit as a significant milestone. His
:07:06. > :07:09.conviction is far from the end of the investigation into Ronan Kerr's
:07:10. > :07:14.murder, at the end of a chapter in what will be a long story they hope
:07:15. > :07:19.will end with further convictions. You're watching BBC Newsline. Could
:07:20. > :07:24.public sector workers be about to see big changes to their pensions?
:07:25. > :07:27.The Prime Minister has helped secure an order for a Belfast factory worth
:07:28. > :07:32.more than ?100 million, which he says will help protect jobs. It's a
:07:33. > :07:36.deal to sell defence systems like missiles and radar equipment to
:07:37. > :07:43.Indonesia. Here's more from our business correspondent Julian
:07:44. > :07:48.O'Neill. This is precision engineering at work. What's being
:07:49. > :07:51.made are Starstreak missiles. Production of the weapons system
:07:52. > :08:00.might date back two decades, but the order book is still being filled.
:08:01. > :08:03.The missiles are just part of what is the biggest ever export deal for
:08:04. > :08:08.this division of the French-owned multinational firm Thales. The
:08:09. > :08:17.contract is with the Indonesian Ministry of Defence and will run for
:08:18. > :08:22.five years. I think it is a world first. As an integrated short range
:08:23. > :08:27.defence system which combines radar is command control and weapon
:08:28. > :08:33.systems like the missiles we produce here in Belfast. A strong selling
:08:34. > :08:36.point was the deployment of the same weapons technology during the London
:08:37. > :08:39.Olympics. David Cameron helped as well. He gave his support to the
:08:40. > :08:42.deal, two years after endorsing defence sales to Indonesia, a
:08:43. > :08:43.country whose past human rights record has been criticised. Mr
:08:44. > :08:59.Cameron said: for these sizes of contracts, I
:09:00. > :09:03.believe the Prime Minister intervention and support is
:09:04. > :09:08.essential. We are competing on the world stage against very big
:09:09. > :09:12.contractors from America, Russia, China, who bring political support
:09:13. > :09:21.of their own. Thales has done work with the Indonesian Ministry of
:09:22. > :09:25.Defence before. This contract dates back to a smaller order about two
:09:26. > :09:30.years ago, and although the company has more than 30 plants across the
:09:31. > :09:34.UK, the majority of work for this contract will be carried out here in
:09:35. > :09:37.Belfast. The news is a boost for 500 workers here. Last year, the local
:09:38. > :09:40.workforce was trimmed by 50 staff because of reductions in global
:09:41. > :09:44.defence spending. But today, the jobs that remain will feel more
:09:45. > :09:48.secure. The historic Crown bar in Belfast
:09:49. > :09:52.city centre is set to reopen after getting a new drinks licence. It's
:09:53. > :09:58.been closed since last Friday after an administrative air led to its old
:09:59. > :10:03.licence expiring. -- and a bit of a mistake. -- and administrative
:10:04. > :10:06.mistake. It's expected to open to the public tomorrow morning.
:10:07. > :10:10.The DUP deputy leader has accused Sinn Fein of a lack of leadership
:10:11. > :10:13.and wallowing in the filth of murder. Nigel Dodds made his
:10:14. > :10:15.comments in Parliament as relations between the two parties become even
:10:16. > :10:19.more strained over the Haass proposals to deal with flags,
:10:20. > :10:28.parading and the past. Our political correspondent Martina Purdy has this
:10:29. > :10:32.report. Although these negotiations is chaired by Richard Haass may be
:10:33. > :10:37.over, the main parties are still talking, trying to reconcile their
:10:38. > :10:42.differences. But there is little sign of progress. The attacks and
:10:43. > :10:50.counterattacks seem to be getting worse. Here is Martin McGuinness. I
:10:51. > :10:57.have watched over the last 18 months to units parties dancing to the June
:10:58. > :11:04.of extremists within their own communities. And that has to end. I
:11:05. > :11:09.say that because I believe the influence of these people has
:11:10. > :11:16.impacted on the negotiations and the outcome. That brought this reaction
:11:17. > :11:22.from the DUP during Question Time. Martin McGuinness's comments last
:11:23. > :11:26.night about extremism are seen by both sides of the community is both
:11:27. > :11:32.untrue and an attempt to distract from Sinn Fein's lack of leadership
:11:33. > :11:37.in aggressive bus back in the dressing their glorification of past
:11:38. > :11:42.terrorist times, as witnessed in Castlederg, and caused enormous
:11:43. > :11:48.damage to community relations. Will she urged Sinn Fein to stop
:11:49. > :11:51.wallowing in the field of murder? The DUP's Sammy Wilson also complain
:11:52. > :11:57.about what he regarded as an fair policing, claiming loyalists had
:11:58. > :12:02.been jailed for public order offences while Sinn Fein MLA Gerry
:12:03. > :12:07.Kelly was left with a police warning over his actions after a
:12:08. > :12:09.controversial Orange march. Would she agree that public order offences
:12:10. > :12:16.have to be dealt with strongly that even they, or confidence will be
:12:17. > :12:21.lost in the police? The Prime Minister told Parliament he saw
:12:22. > :12:25.merit in the Haass proposals. To date Sinn Fein said the government
:12:26. > :12:30.needed to an ambiguously embraced the package and provide the
:12:31. > :12:32.necessary resources to implement it, but that won't happen without
:12:33. > :12:39.agreement between the DUP and Sinn Fein.
:12:40. > :12:42.We had a lot of reaction last night to our story on horrific animal
:12:43. > :12:46.cruelty. Four men pleaded guilty, three of them from the same East
:12:47. > :12:49.Belfast family. The USPCA and the police described it as some of the
:12:50. > :12:53.worst they've seen. Over the last two years, BBC Newsline has covered
:12:54. > :12:55.some horrendous animal cruelty with reports on stag hunting, cock
:12:56. > :12:58.fighting, the maltreatment of horses, badger baiting and, last
:12:59. > :13:06.night, cats being used in the so-called blooding of dogs. Donna
:13:07. > :13:15.Traynor has been to the USPCA's headquarters.
:13:16. > :13:28.The new animal welfare law came into effect in 2011. The remit for farm
:13:29. > :13:42.animals is under the Department of agriculture. The welfare act was
:13:43. > :13:47.supposed to protect animals. What is the ratio between
:13:48. > :13:56.prosecutions and the number of incidents?
:13:57. > :14:13.The USPCA campaigned for this legislation. But it is not being
:14:14. > :14:22.used properly. 4000 visits, but only one prosecution. This is not being
:14:23. > :14:38.implemented properly. Where does the difficulty lies? There is a
:14:39. > :14:55.reluctance to act early enough. Opportunities are missed. The
:14:56. > :15:08.legislation is fantastic. But on the ground we are hearing that it is not
:15:09. > :15:13.being used effectively enough. There used to be five officers
:15:14. > :15:22.looking after animal welfare. That has been increased to nine officers.
:15:23. > :15:32.Are there enough resources? There are not enough staff to enforce the
:15:33. > :15:39.law. We need custodial sentences. That will send a clear message that
:15:40. > :15:51.this is not acceptable. Thank you for joining us.
:15:52. > :15:57.We have been inundated with comments on social media from people
:15:58. > :16:06.concerned about animal cruelty. Join in if you can.
:16:07. > :16:10.Still to come: The highs and lows of local football. From save of the
:16:11. > :16:14.night - to slip up of the season! The Carrickfergus Advertiser and
:16:15. > :16:21.Ballyclare Gazette newspapers are to close. They're part of the Alpha
:16:22. > :16:25.Newspaper Group. Eight jobs will be lost but the company says it hopes
:16:26. > :16:33.some of the workers will be redeployed to other papers in the
:16:34. > :16:37.group. The campaign of attacks against the
:16:38. > :16:40.companies once owned by the bankrupt businessman Sean Quinn have raised
:16:41. > :16:43.fears about the future of jobs along the Fermanagh-Cavan border. Today
:16:44. > :16:46.the company - renamed Aventas - announced a ?13 million investment
:16:47. > :16:50.at its cement factory which it says will secure long term employment and
:16:51. > :16:59.send a message to those carrying out the acts of sabotage. Here's our
:17:00. > :17:05.South West reporter Julian Fowler. Cement made Sean Quinn the richest
:17:06. > :17:11.man in Ireland. From the top of this tower you can see the companies he
:17:12. > :17:23.established. The company has a new name, Aventas. It will deal with
:17:24. > :17:30.recycled waste. It avoids the use of landfill sites.
:17:31. > :17:42.We will use it in our manufacturing process.
:17:43. > :17:49.More than 1100 people are employed either Aventas. The jobs have been
:17:50. > :17:54.put at risk by attacks. These attacks have been condemned by Sean
:17:55. > :18:01.Quinn. The new boss says the investment sends out a strong
:18:02. > :18:11.message. It is a narrow minded minority that is conducting the
:18:12. > :18:17.campaign of sabotage. The 16 million investment secures the future of
:18:18. > :18:21.jobs in this area. After a downturn in the construction
:18:22. > :18:30.industry this company believes that a corner has been turned.
:18:31. > :18:32.This investment is a positive development and a vote of confidence
:18:33. > :18:38.in the future of this company. Now to an issue that's causing a lot
:18:39. > :18:43.of controversy because it affects so many people here. Public sector
:18:44. > :18:46.pensions. The Government is proposing big changes and last night
:18:47. > :18:51.MLAs voted through the latest stage in a bill that will allow them to
:18:52. > :18:59.make those changes. Our reporter jury McCullough has been looking at
:19:00. > :19:03.this issue for BBC Newsline. These proposed changes would affect
:19:04. > :19:09.30% of the workforce in Northern Ireland. That is more than 200,000
:19:10. > :19:14.people. It would mean that the earliest public sector workers could
:19:15. > :19:19.retire with the 65. That would go up to 68, bringing it into line with
:19:20. > :19:26.the future state pension age. It would do away with final salary
:19:27. > :19:31.pensions. Unions say it would have a massive impact.
:19:32. > :19:38.The changes will mean many people will have to work until at least 68.
:19:39. > :19:47.Pensions Bill be devalued. It is bad news. If you make a worker work an
:19:48. > :19:51.extra eight years you are blocking that job for a young person looking
:19:52. > :19:54.to get into work. The bill will contain protection for
:19:55. > :20:10.those close to retirement, but some are worried. When I retire I will go
:20:11. > :20:15.away with a smaller lump sum. My terms and conditions have been
:20:16. > :20:17.changed. The finance minister says these
:20:18. > :20:24.changes need to happen and that delaying them could cost Northern
:20:25. > :20:30.Ireland up to ?300 million. We spoke to a financial adviser who set out
:20:31. > :20:35.the case. In the 1960s we were living on
:20:36. > :20:45.average until the age of 71. Today it is 80. Think of the impact that
:20:46. > :20:51.has on pension schemes. In another 20 years that will increase again.
:20:52. > :20:58.It places as huge amount of pressure on the schemes. Something has to
:20:59. > :21:00.change. The police and fire services are
:21:01. > :21:05.exempt from the proposed changes. The final changes of the bill are
:21:06. > :21:10.due to be concluded in the next few weeks.
:21:11. > :21:13.News of yet another gold medal tonight as one of our top
:21:14. > :21:16.Paralympians is peaking at just the right time. Gavin's here.
:21:17. > :21:20.The team is yet to be officially announced but Kelly Gallagher from
:21:21. > :21:23.Bangor is in the form of her life with just seven weeks to go until
:21:24. > :21:26.the Winter Paralympics in Russia. The 28-year-old visually impaired
:21:27. > :21:30.skier has clinched a third gold medal at the World Cup in Canada in
:21:31. > :21:33.as many days. Coming into this meeting, Kelly and her guide
:21:34. > :21:36.Charlotte Evans, had just one World Cup victory to their names and are
:21:37. > :21:39.now favourites to win Great Britain's first ever gold at the
:21:40. > :21:42.Winter Paralympics. Joe Gormley chalked up his 30th goal
:21:43. > :21:46.of the season for Cliftonville last night in their 3-2 win over Ards.
:21:47. > :21:50.And celebrated with a kiss from his mum. The win takes the champions to
:21:51. > :21:53.second in the table, one point behind leaders Linfield, who could
:21:54. > :22:04.only manage a draw with Crusaders. Mark Sidebottom reports.
:22:05. > :22:15.With just a few minutes on the clock Ards opened the scoring.
:22:16. > :22:23.There is no more potent strikeforce in the country at the moment.
:22:24. > :22:30.This goal was down to individual brilliance. Joe Gormley famously
:22:31. > :22:34.does not do television interviews, but he is not camera shy when it
:22:35. > :22:49.comes to handing out kisses. The girl in the crowd was his mother.
:22:50. > :22:54.Some of the passing, I do not think anybody could have handled them
:22:55. > :23:02.tonight. At Windsor Park Linfield were
:23:03. > :23:07.quickly off the mark. We saw the best and the worst of the
:23:08. > :23:18.goalkeeper. 1-1 the final score. As the new season beckons for Derry
:23:19. > :23:22.City, the Candy Stripes have a new man in charge. And Roddy Collins has
:23:23. > :23:26.just one goal - to win the League of Ireland. Kieron Tourish reports The
:23:27. > :23:28.rest of the goals from last night's games are available on the BBC Sport
:23:29. > :23:34.website. The cake was off limits. They have a
:23:35. > :23:46.tough schedule as they prepare for the new season in March.
:23:47. > :24:04.The new manager was making jokes as usual.
:24:05. > :24:15.I need a challenge. Every game you play. You know after seven or eight
:24:16. > :24:25.games where you are going to go. Roddy Collins has signed several new
:24:26. > :24:35.players. It is great. City is similar to
:24:36. > :24:42.Liverpool. I like the look of the new manager. He seems to be an
:24:43. > :24:50.honest fellow. I love playing up here. That was a big factor in
:24:51. > :24:54.coming here. Roddy Collins has been to Scotland and England to look for
:24:55. > :24:57.players. He believes he will be signing for or five players in the
:24:58. > :25:05.coming weeks ahead of the new season.
:25:06. > :25:11.Roddy Collins now feels Derry are shaping up for a good season.
:25:12. > :25:14.Snooker and Mark Allen has narrowly missed out on a place in the quarter
:25:15. > :25:18.finals at the Masters tournament in London. The Antrim man lost to
:25:19. > :25:21.Australian Neil Roberston in a tense deciding frame this afternoon - the
:25:22. > :25:35.world number one eventually winning by six frames to five.
:25:36. > :25:40.Time now for the weather. Rain will be an issue for some parts over the
:25:41. > :26:00.next day. Heavy rain on the way. It will turn colder. Clearer skies have
:26:01. > :26:09.been moving in from the West. This evening residual showers will clear
:26:10. > :26:15.away. Temperatures will fall away. In the countryside it will be close
:26:16. > :26:33.to freezing. There may be some fog patches. We are keeping an eye on
:26:34. > :26:37.this area of showers offshore. Any showers are likely to be prolonged
:26:38. > :26:49.and slow-moving. The Met office has issued a rain warning. It looks as
:26:50. > :26:57.though it will be the East that will have the heavy showers. The fog and
:26:58. > :27:12.the frost will be the main issue for some through the rush hour. The
:27:13. > :27:23.further West you are, the showers will be less intense. The rain
:27:24. > :27:33.lingers into tomorrow night. Inland becoming a frosty and body.
:27:34. > :27:40.Thank you. Our late summary is at 10.25. You can also keep in contact
:27:41. > :28:11.with us via Facebook and Twitter. From BBC Newsline, goodnight.
:28:12. > :28:13.see the incredible adventures of these miniature heroes