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14/08/2013
Peru Suspects In Kidnap Claim
A woman from Dungannon, County Tyrone and a woman from Scotland currently facing drugs smuggling charges in Peru have claimed they were forced at gunpoint to carry £1.5m of cocaine in their luggage.
20-year-old Michaella McCollum Connolly and 19-year-old Melissa Reid were arrested last week before boarding a plane from Lima to Spain.
Peruvian airport officials say they found 11kg of illegal drugs in their luggage.
The women claim they were smuggling the drugs to save both their and their families' lives from a South American gang who threatened them at gunpoint.
They say it began when they were approached separately by a man with an English accent in Ibiza, where the two women had been working over the summer.
Miss Reid told the Daily Mirror: "We were given no option. If we didn't do as we were told we would be dead.
"We have no doubt they would have killed us both without hesitation if we didn't do as we were told."
In an interview with the Mirror, Miss McCollum Connolly and Miss Reid told a journalist the gang had taken their passports and mobile phones and ordered them to carry luggage onto the plane.
They claim they had never met before they were kidnapped and taken to a house owned by a drug gang in Majorca.
The Daily Mirror's editor Chris Bucktin interviewed the women.
He said: "They admit that they have cried themselves several times.
"They are in two separate cells. Melissa is sharing with another girl and Michaella is by herself. There is nothing in those cells, they actually sleep on fibreglass beds."
Peter Madden, of Madden & Finucane, is representing the family of Ms McCollum-Connolly.
They women have been told they could face a three-year wait before their trial is even heard.
(IT/CD)
20-year-old Michaella McCollum Connolly and 19-year-old Melissa Reid were arrested last week before boarding a plane from Lima to Spain.
Peruvian airport officials say they found 11kg of illegal drugs in their luggage.
The women claim they were smuggling the drugs to save both their and their families' lives from a South American gang who threatened them at gunpoint.
They say it began when they were approached separately by a man with an English accent in Ibiza, where the two women had been working over the summer.
Miss Reid told the Daily Mirror: "We were given no option. If we didn't do as we were told we would be dead.
"We have no doubt they would have killed us both without hesitation if we didn't do as we were told."
In an interview with the Mirror, Miss McCollum Connolly and Miss Reid told a journalist the gang had taken their passports and mobile phones and ordered them to carry luggage onto the plane.
They claim they had never met before they were kidnapped and taken to a house owned by a drug gang in Majorca.
The Daily Mirror's editor Chris Bucktin interviewed the women.
He said: "They admit that they have cried themselves several times.
"They are in two separate cells. Melissa is sharing with another girl and Michaella is by herself. There is nothing in those cells, they actually sleep on fibreglass beds."
Peter Madden, of Madden & Finucane, is representing the family of Ms McCollum-Connolly.
They women have been told they could face a three-year wait before their trial is even heard.
(IT/CD)
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15 August 2013
Michaella McCollum's Solicitor Flies To Peru
The solicitor of Michaella McCollum, a 20-year-old Dungannon woman currently being held in Peru on suspicion of drug trafficking, is to fly to Lima to advise her. The 20-year-old County Tyrone native was arrested last week at Jorge Chavez International Airport as she tried to board a flight to Madrid with 19-year-old Melissa Reid, from Scotland.
Michaella McCollum's Solicitor Flies To Peru
The solicitor of Michaella McCollum, a 20-year-old Dungannon woman currently being held in Peru on suspicion of drug trafficking, is to fly to Lima to advise her. The 20-year-old County Tyrone native was arrested last week at Jorge Chavez International Airport as she tried to board a flight to Madrid with 19-year-old Melissa Reid, from Scotland.
26 September 2013
Peru Drugs Accused Have Guilty Pleas Rejected
Prosecutors in Peru have refused to accept the guilty pleas of two women caught trying to smuggle drugs out of the country. On Tuesday, Michaella McCollum, 20, from Dungannon in Co Tyrone, and Melissa Reid, also 20 and from Lenzie in Scotland, admitted to smuggling drugs.
Peru Drugs Accused Have Guilty Pleas Rejected
Prosecutors in Peru have refused to accept the guilty pleas of two women caught trying to smuggle drugs out of the country. On Tuesday, Michaella McCollum, 20, from Dungannon in Co Tyrone, and Melissa Reid, also 20 and from Lenzie in Scotland, admitted to smuggling drugs.
26 November 2013
Woman Jailed Over False Rape Claim
A Co Antrim woman, who made a false rape claim against her ex-boyfriend after he ended their relationship, has been sentenced to three months in jail. Natasha Foster, 23 and from Ballymena, told police two years ago that her partner had sexually attacked her.
Woman Jailed Over False Rape Claim
A Co Antrim woman, who made a false rape claim against her ex-boyfriend after he ended their relationship, has been sentenced to three months in jail. Natasha Foster, 23 and from Ballymena, told police two years ago that her partner had sexually attacked her.
25 January 2012
Car Repair Complaints Increase
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Car Repair Complaints Increase
Complaints about botched car repairs are on the rise in Northern Ireland, according to Trading Standards. The regulatory body said that complaints about cars have increased over a thousand in a year and also claim that a third of these complaints refer to servicing work or repairs.
06 March 2014
Men Ordered Out Of Taxi For Kissing
Belfast taxi firm FonaCab has issued an apology following the news that one of its drivers kicked two men out of a taxi for kissing. The incident is believed to have occurred in the Elms Village area of Belfast on Tuesday evening.
Men Ordered Out Of Taxi For Kissing
Belfast taxi firm FonaCab has issued an apology following the news that one of its drivers kicked two men out of a taxi for kissing. The incident is believed to have occurred in the Elms Village area of Belfast on Tuesday evening.
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Northern Ireland WeatherToday:The day will be very windy with strong to gale force westerly winds becoming occasionally severe along the north coast. Sunny spells will be interspersed with scattered showers. Maximum temperature 8 °C.Tonight:West to northwest gale force winds, severe along the north coast, will continue overnight. Frequent showers persist, merging into longer periods of rain at times and turning wintry. Minimum temperature 1 °C.
