Gary Haggarty (born ) is a former leader of an

Ulster Volunteer Force The Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) is an Ulster loyalist paramilitary group. Formed in 1965, it first emerged in 1966. Its first leader was Gusty Spence, a former British Army soldier from Northern Ireland. The group undertook an armed campaig ...

unit in the Mount Vernon area of north Belfast and police "

supergrass Supergrass are an English rock band formed in 1993 in Oxford. For the majority of the band's tenure, the line-up consisted of brothers Gaz (lead vocals, guitar) and Rob Coombes (keyboards), Mick Quinn (bass, backing vocals) and Danny Goffey ( ...

". In January 2018 he was sentenced to more than six years in jail after admitting to over 200 offences, including committing five murders. In May 2018, Haggarty was released from prison and has been put into a witness protection programme. In 2023 he testified at the trial of Loyalist James Stewart Smyth, who was accused of murdering two Catholic workers in 1994. Haggarty told the court that Smyth and

Mark Haddock Mark Haddock (born 1968) is an Ulster loyalist paramilitary leader and RUC Special Branch informer in Northern Ireland, who has been named by various sources in connection with more than twenty-one killings. He is a member of the Ulster Volunteer ...

had plotted the murders and that he had supplied Smyth with the weapons used to kill the two men. During the incident, approximately 32 bullets (a full magazine) was fired from a Sten sub machine gun into a parked car with three men inside eating their lunch. Afterwards, a man dressed in dark clothing (allegedly James Smyth) was then seen running from the scene via a nearby children's playground. James Smyth was found not guilty of all charges in February 2024, with the judge highlighting inconsistencies between Haggarty's evidence and that of other witnesses.

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How many murders can a police informer get away with?
The Guardian, 2018 1970s births Irish people convicted of murder Living people People from Northern Ireland Police informants Ulster Volunteer Force members Year of birth uncertain {{NorthernIreland-bio-stub