Republican blackmailer is jailed

A dissident repubican from Belfast has been jailed for nine years for extortion and arms offences.

Martin Overend, 37, admitted blackmail, having information which may be useful to terrorists and having explosives and guns with intent to endanger life.

Belfast Crown Court heard that shots were fired at the blackmail victim's house and he was told there was a contract out on him.

Guns and explosives were later found at Overend's Broadway Tower home.

They included an AK47 assault rifle, a sawn-off shotgun, two handguns, component parts for pipe bombs, explosive powder and a quantity of bullets.

A notebook with the details of six police officers and a soldier was also found.

The court was told the blackmail plot started in February 2005 when shots were fired at the victim's home.

A few days after a second shooting incident in March 2005, he received a phonecall from a male caller telling him there was a £25,000 contract out on his head but that he "would have an opportunity to buy that contract out".

On 16 March, the victim got another call demanding that he pay £50,000 in two days time along with threats made to him and his family both on the phone and by way of text message.

Police then got involved and arrested Overend after a payoff had taken place in the docks area of Belfast.

Officers found two mobile phones in his car, one of which had been the phone used to make the calls and various demands from the victim.

Surveillance officers had noticed that about 30 metres behind Overend, another car had been following him. They stopped it and found it was being driven by 36-year-old Thomas Crossan from Rodney Parade, Belfast.

He was given a two-year jail term suspended for five years after he pleaded guilty to assisting Overend in the extortion.

Prosecuting QC Stephen Fowler said the plot was "part and parcel of a paramilitary organisation, namely, the Continuity IRA".

Handing down the jail terms, Judge Finnegan said the case was "as serious an offence as one could come across," telling Overend he had been "caught as close to redhanded as makes no difference".