Catholic father-of-four Kevin McDaid murdered Nine men are being questioned

Nine men are being questioned by police in Co Londonderry over the murder of Catholic father-of-four Kevin McDaid. Mr McDaid (49) was beaten to death by a loyalist mob just yards from his home in the Heights area of Coleraine on Sunday.
Detectives have confirmed they were treating his death as sectarian. Senior investigating officer Detective Chief Inspector Frankie Taylor said tensions were running high in the area but urged the nationalist community not to retaliate.
“There has been a lot of speculation as to what had happened. I would appeal for people from this area not to retaliate over what has happened to Kevin. It is not what Kevin would have wanted, it is not what Kevin’s family want and on their behalf I would appeal for calm in the area. Let the police get on with the investigation.”
He added: “The principal motive at this stage is sectarian. This was an attack by Protestants on Catholics. Retaliation will not help the name of Kevin. We need anybody with information to come forward and help Kevin. Unfortunately Kevin can’t speak for himself, so we need those people to come forward and speak on his behalf.”
Mr McDaid, a plasterer by trade who volunteered as a community youth worker, was savagely beaten by a loyalist mob who descended on the estate hours after Rangers won the Scottish Premier League. Eyewitnesses said the thugs jumped on and kicked the victim’s head. The police have yet to determine which, if any, weapons were used although there are reports that the gang was armed with pickaxe handles and baseball bats. It is understood there was a dispute about flags prior to the attack. A number of tricolours had been erected but were removed a short time before the killing. Mr Taylor said police had been in the area at the time and officers were last night being “debriefed”. He said: “We believe a large group of men came into this area and Mr McDaid and a number of others were attacked. I would appeal to this community in the Heights area to come forward with any information they have in relation to what took place. It’s clear there was a sequence of events that took place before the assault on Mr McDaid and we need that information, we need those people to come forward. “It is one line of inquiry that we are looking into that there were flags on the lampposts and that they were removed just prior to the attack on Mr McDaid. I should say Mr McDaid is an individual who worked very closely with the police and with other statutory and voluntary agencies to try and improve this area and to try and help individuals in this area. “Clearly his intention was to make the Heights a better place for everyone to live in. He has been brutally beaten.
“This was an unfolding event and it was going on over a period of time so the police were here at different stages of the evening and those police officers that were present will be fully debriefed on the information they can provide.” Mr Taylor played down reports that people in the Heights felt abandoned by local police, and he said patrols would be stepped up in the area in the wake of the attack.
“The district commander, who is in charge of the whole operation at this stage, will be looking very closely at events in this area over the coming days. People should be reassured that the police are here to provide a service to everybody.” Mr Taylor said police had so far received a “great response” from locals but he urged anyone with information to come forward. Throughout yesterday forensic teams combed the scene for clues. Among the items bagged and taken away for examination was a large plank of wood, beer cans which had been strewn across the murder scene and a cardboard box. Meanwhile another man, 46-year-old Damien Fleming, was last night fighting for life. It is understood he was transferred to the Royal Victoria Hospital yesterday afternoon. DI Taylor said detectives were treated his attack as attempted murder. “He remains critical in hospital and at the minute we are treating the assault on him as attempted murder. We may well be looking at a second murder here.” Yesterday afternoon trouble flared in other parts of Coleraine. At Market Street in the town centre police came under attack from stones and bottles and a number of loyalists held a tense stand outside the Scots Bar for much of the day.

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Gerard Hagan sentence of ten years is to be backdated to July 2007.

Gerard Hagan, with an address in Liverpool, was to be paid GBP£5,000 to ensure the safe arrival of the cocaine from the Caribbean to Ireland.He was one of four men involved in the operation, which ended in disaster after the boat sank off the coast of west Cork on the 2nd of July last year.Two of the other men involved were sentenced to 30 and 25 years, while Mr Hagan's sentence of ten years is to be backdated to July 2007.

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Martinsa-Fadesa -- which operated out of Ireland and dealt with several agents here -- preparing to declare bankruptcy in the face of debts of €5bn.

Spanish housing crisis claimed its first major victim, with property developer Martinsa-Fadesa -- which operated out of Ireland and dealt with several agents here -- preparing to declare bankruptcy in the face of debts of €5bn. It has created major shockwaves here, among customers who are still awaiting the completion of their dream home in the sun.Another announcement, which sent ripples across the industry this week, was news that Larionova, the biggest and most high profile of the Irish foreign property agents, is also to shut up shop, amid difficulties getting payment from developers.These fresh worries come on top of the triple whammy already tarnishing Irish investors' little slice of abroad, with interest rates doubling in the past 18 months, property prices in some previous 'sure thing' hotspots such as Spain, Bulgaria and even the US taking a hammering and -- the final straw -- the taxman relentlessly coming after what little of the spoils may be left.
The Revenue investigation into offshore investments is far from over, having already identified more than 2,000 Irish owners of foreign properties and with more trawls to come.Letters have been sent out to those suspected of owning assets abroad, which tells them that under EU legislation, they have been identified as being in receipt of income from an offshore bank account or accounts, informing them that while this is not illegal, the holders must pay tax on any interest earned on the account.
Where the accounts were opened in connection with the purchase or ongoing maintenance and running costs of a property abroad, Revenue asks for clarification regarding the date the property was purchased; whether it is being rented; the total costs involved; and the source of finance for the purchase.
In addition, they are also seeking the identities of intermediaries such as estate agents and lawyers who assisted in the purchase of the property.
They ask that accounts, tax with interest, and any necessary penalties owed be forwarded.Those not yet identified as possible tax defaulters are urged to come clean -- with a voluntary disclosure granting benefits such as a reduction in interest from 100pc to 10pc, non-publication for tax evasion and non-prosecution for tax evasion. Meanwhile, officials warn they are monitoring advertisements and websites, exchanging information with foreign tax administrations and continuing to seek new ways to identify the owners of offshore property.Those involved in the selling of overseas property publicly say they are confident that most people are now tax compliant -- but privately, they may not be so sure, with one industry source actually laughing at the idea that this might be the case.
He said that while anyone who purchased in the EU might be an easy target for Revenue, those who bought in the US -- the third most popular destination for Irish property investors -- will prove more difficult to catch, as will anyone who paid cash for property in any market who did not buy via an Irish agent.
Ironically, it is this last group who is the real target for Revenue, keen to know whether hot money had been used to make the purchase.One investor, who would not be named, told the Irish Independent that he and his wife had bought a classic apartment in Hungary's capital city, Budapest, almost five years ago. Rent on the property has only recently begun to cover the cost of the mortgage top-up the couple had secured on their own home. They recently received notification from Revenue that their tax affairs are under investigation, though they have made little profits from their little dabble overseas.'The profits are probably in the hundreds rather than thousands, especially when you take into account the renovation costs, which weren't cheap. What we're more worried about is that we got a top-up on our mortgage here and are claiming tax relief on that, so it could be a little bit sticky," he revealed.
"On the face of it, it might not be seen to be a particularly good investment, especially with all these new complications, but because we bought an old building in a really central location, I don't think we'll lose out in the long run."
Tom McGrath, a property lawyer specialising in overseas markets, confirmed that he is seeing increasing numbers of clients who are not tax compliant and who are in trouble.He advises them to take immediate action to deal with their tax problems, saying: "Don't sit on it. There's bound to be a solution."Other distressed clients have bought without any legal advice and got themselves into a contract with a developer who has failed to meet his commitments.
"The worst offenders are in Bulgaria," Mr McGrath revealed, where investors are asked for more money at the close of a sale or are asked to pay a certain sum under the counter."We ask clients not to participate in this activity -- they're not doing themselves any favours."With regard to the credit crunch, he does not think many Irish people have been forced to sell their property abroad yet -- but adds that he "hopes the situation is not as bad as people are predicting".In Spain, property prices have been coming down hugely, due to planning corruption and oversupply -- with corruption rife in tourist areas. However, Mr McGrath says Spain has a practical way of dealing with corrupt developers: "Forget about tribunals, they lock people up."
He finds overseas sales to have largely cooled off, but he is still seeing a steady flow of clients interested in investing overseas -- particularly in Portugal, Spain, France and Italy.Meanwhile, there are also Irish people still investing in Poland and Germany, he said.Colm Murphy, of Property Tax International, said it is vital that people are aware of their tax obligations here and in the country they bought.
Technological advances in computer software have made it a lot easier for tax officials across Europe to share information, he revealed.
In Spain, for example, new software was implemented some months ago, which alerts the tax office when there has been a change in the notary deeds of a property following a sale.Mr Murphy's company has seen an increase of around 20pc in the number of clients coming to them with tax concerns."People are coming to us and saying 'I have this property in Spain and haven't done anything about it'. Buying property overseas is hard at the best of times -- most of the time people are buying in the dark, because the estate agents are just trying to get the cash off you."

Other issues can arise, of which Irish buyers may be ignorant. "In some countries, such as France, your domestic will doesn't cover your French property and so if a couple owns a property and the wife dies, her share will be broken down among all her living relatives."

Simon Palmer, of Empire Consulting, warns that it is very short-sighted to try and dodge tax on foreign property investments.

"During the boom, the tax man wasn't clamping down, but he is now," he said.

According to Mr Palmer, some unscrupulous agents are telling would-be investors that rent will cover a certain section of the mortgage and they will "just have to put this much in" to make up the shortfall.
"But property should always wash its face -- even from the outset," he said.
He advises people to avoid emerging markets, such as Bulgaria and Turkey, and tourist resorts, because they are too risky. Wiser investments are made in the UK, a French city, or Gemany.
"Then they could take a punt at a higher-risk market," he said.

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