25 February 1999 Edition
Hamill trial begins.
BY Dan O'Neill
On the first day of the Robert Hamill trial in Armagh crown court on Monday 22 February, several witnesses described how they saw the father of two being kicked to death as four heavily armed RUC officers in a nearby Land Rover watched on and failed to intervene.
The court heard that Mr Hamill had been in St Patrick's Hall in Thomas Street with Gregory Girvan, Mr Girvan's wife Joanne - the victims cousin - and her sister Siobhan.
Girvan told the court that as they made their way home they were attacked, though Girvan said that all he could remember was waking up in hospital. His wife Joanne broke down as she started to give evidence. She said: ``The only thing I can remember is Gregory lying unconscious and Robert lying there as well. I knew he was hurt as he didn't get up.''
Ms Girvan who draped herself over her her husband's unconscious body to protect him, said they had been attacked by a crowd of about 30 people who ``came out of nowhere''.
Her sister Siobhan who went to help Mr Hamill as he lay on the road said: ``I saw them [the crowd] kicking round his head, shouting `die you bastard'.'' She added that the crowd stepped back a few feet but did not disperse after the attack. She then ran to the RUC Land Rover parked nearby and banged on the side of the vehicle, shouting for help, but that there was no reply.
The prosecution claimed that the four RUC officers in the Land Rover parked at the corner of Market Street found themselves in the middle of clashes between groups of loyalists and nationalists - a claim denied by witnesses.
Ms Girvan said she had not seen groups of youths fighting or any RUC in officers getting out of the Land Rover to intervene.
Colin Prunty, who was walking a short distance behind Hamill and Girvan when they were attacked, said the only RUC he saw was the two officers who went into the crowd after the attack. He described as ``nonsense'' claims that there were two groups shouting sectarian abuse at each other before the attack.
Paul Hobson (21) from Deer Park in Portadown is charged with murdering Robert Hamill.
On the first day of the Robert Hamill trial in Armagh crown court on Monday 22 February, several witnesses described how they saw the father of two being kicked to death as four heavily armed RUC officers in a nearby Land Rover watched on and failed to intervene.
The court heard that Mr Hamill had been in St Patrick's Hall in Thomas Street with Gregory Girvan, Mr Girvan's wife Joanne - the victims cousin - and her sister Siobhan.
Girvan told the court that as they made their way home they were attacked, though Girvan said that all he could remember was waking up in hospital. His wife Joanne broke down as she started to give evidence. She said: ``The only thing I can remember is Gregory lying unconscious and Robert lying there as well. I knew he was hurt as he didn't get up.''
Ms Girvan who draped herself over her her husband's unconscious body to protect him, said they had been attacked by a crowd of about 30 people who ``came out of nowhere''.
Her sister Siobhan who went to help Mr Hamill as he lay on the road said: ``I saw them [the crowd] kicking round his head, shouting `die you bastard'.'' She added that the crowd stepped back a few feet but did not disperse after the attack. She then ran to the RUC Land Rover parked nearby and banged on the side of the vehicle, shouting for help, but that there was no reply.
The prosecution claimed that the four RUC officers in the Land Rover parked at the corner of Market Street found themselves in the middle of clashes between groups of loyalists and nationalists - a claim denied by witnesses.
Ms Girvan said she had not seen groups of youths fighting or any RUC in officers getting out of the Land Rover to intervene.
Colin Prunty, who was walking a short distance behind Hamill and Girvan when they were attacked, said the only RUC he saw was the two officers who went into the crowd after the attack. He described as ``nonsense'' claims that there were two groups shouting sectarian abuse at each other before the attack.
Paul Hobson (21) from Deer Park in Portadown is charged with murdering Robert Hamill.