NI Justice Department Backs Paddy Barnes Approval To Board Of Probation Despite Daniel Kinahan’s Advocacy

The Northern Ireland Department of Justice has defended its approval of former boxer Paddy Barnes’ appointment to the Probation Board despite his defense of Irish mafia boss Daniel Kinahan.

A spokesperson said of Barnes’ recent announcement to the board: “The nominations to the Management Board for Northern Ireland were made following a public nomination contest conducted in accordance with the rules of practice. of CPANI.”

Barnes has made headlines by voicing support for Kinahan and defending his role in boxing and has never denied controversial comments.

His new role will involve overseeing early release from prison on license and community executions.

The board is also responsible for providing the court with pre-sentence reports on alleged offenders and the organization of social welfare in the prison.

Barnes will pocket more than £5,000 (about €6,000) for his role each year and will sit on the board for a three-year term.

The two-time Olympic medalist made a flurry of pro-Kinahan comments in 2016 after a series of murders linked to the Dubliner’s mob and his Spanish gym being broken into. size.

Defending the suspected crime boss, he said he would have no problem with Kinahan sitting in his corner warning: “People need to be careful what they are saying if they are slandering names. of everyone.

“People are saying he’s a criminal, but he hasn’t been convicted of anything……if he wants to sit in my corner, he can sit in my corner.”

Barnes signed with the gym in October 2016 following a raid on the Purto Banus facility conducted during a joint operation between Irish Gardai and the Spanish Guardia Civil.

The campaign resulted in the arrest and subsequent conviction of Dubliner James Quinn for the murder of Gary Hutch.

At the time, 10 assassinations, including those of innocent tourist Trevor O’Neill and homeless man Martin O’Rourke, were linked to the Kinahan Organized Crime Group that will later be put in the Special Criminal Court as a gang of murderous drugs.

Barnes never gave up on his comments and went on to spend years working on the gym that the boss of the crowd founded and will be renamed MTK Global.

Since retiring from boxing in 2019, he has been a club development officer for Ulster Boxing.

He works alongside John Conlon, whose son Jamie served as Vice President of MTK Global and another son Michael has found in their colors for many years. The two brothers recently founded their own company, Conlon boxing in Northern Ireland. No one in the Conlon family, or Paddy Barnes, was involved in the crime.

The Probation Board is the body that oversees the release of licensed inmates and community onslaughts and directs initiatives for safer communities.

Thirty-four-year-old Barnes was one of 13 appointed by Northern Ireland Attorney General Naomi Long, who said:

“This is incredibly important and valuable work as the Probation Board for Northern Ireland is an organization that is involved in all stages of the criminal justice process.

“In addition to playing an important role in reducing crime and preventing recidivism through effective monitoring of those who have offended, the PBNI provides a number of justice priorities. These include addressing issues surrounding domestic abuse, sex crime and violence as well as implementing problem-solving justice initiatives.

“I wish the new Board of Directors well their important role in helping the organization continue its important work of transforming lives for safer communities.”