The Five Demands

Leader lealista ed ex Orangeman, Mark Harbinson, è stato dichiarato colpevole di abusi sessuali su di una studentessa di 13 anni, in un’Orange Hall

La giuria della Craigovon Crown Court si è pronunciata sulla sorte di Mark Harbinson, 44enne, di Sheepwalk Road, a Stoneyford Co. Antrim. Un compito arduo che ha creato divisioni all’interno dei giurati, che non sono riusciti ad accordarsi su cinque imputazioni, inclusa  quella di aggressione sessuale ai danni di un’altra ragazza di 14 anni.
Prosciolto anche dall’accusa di aggressione sessuale su di un ragazzino di 12 anni.
La scorsa settimana la Corte era stata informata di un ‘traffico’ di 1700 sms tra Harbinson e la ragazza di 13 anni, nel corso di una ‘relazione’ durata 8 mesi. L’ex orangista era stato precedentemete catturato dalla polizia, con la ragazza nella sua auto. Tre giorni dopo le immagini di lei in topless vennero trovate sul suo cellulare.
Harbinson l’aveva presumibilmente pregata di baciarla e dicendole che “non poteva aspettare che lei compisse 16 anni”.
Lunedi ‘, dopo sei ore di discussioni in due giorni, la giuria ha ammesso che Harbinson aveva portato la ragazza alla Stoneyford Orange Hall, dove l’aveva toccata e penetrata sessualmente e l’aveva incoraggiata ad impegnarsi in attività sessuali.
Durante il processo durato cinque settimane, l’imputato ha sempre negato ogni sua responsabilità sostenendo “non ho fatto nulla di tutto questo – non una parola, non una parola”, rinnegando la ‘relazione’ con l’adolescente. “Non è mai successo …. assolutamente no …… non è successo niente tra di noi”.
Mentre i verdetti venivano consegnati alla giuria, Harbinson è rimasto sul banco degli imputati, scioccato e arrabbiato per il risultato, mentre le famiglie delle studentesse piangevano in tribuna.
Non si è trattato quindi di verdertti di colpevolezza raggiunti all’unanimità come erroneamente dichiarato inizialmente dal giudice. Dieci dei giurati concordi, e 2 contrari.
Cinque i capi d’accusa su cui la giuria non è giunta ad una decisione. Il giudice dopo averne appurato le ragioni, ha dichiarato che nulla di più avrebbe potuto essere fatto ed ha sollevato i giurati da qualsiasi ulteriore deliberazione.
Sebbene Harbinson debba affrontare la prospettiva di un nuovo processo per le accuse ancora il sospeso, il giudice Marrinan ha detto di voler procedere con la sentenza.
Tredici in totale, i capi di accusa. I primi 11 capi di accusa fanno riferimento alla studentessa di 13 anni, mentre i restanti 2 sono riconducibili alla quattordicenne e al ragazzo di 12 anni.
Con verdetti maggioranza, è stato condannato per 3 imputazioni legate ad “attività sessuale di un adulto con un bambino”.
Harbinson è tornato in carcere in attesa della sentenza, prevista per aprile e solo il mese prossimo saprà se dovrà affrontare un nuovo processo.

Video News da UTV

Ex-Orangeman guilty of teen sex abuse (UTV)
Prominent loyalist and former Orangeman, Mark Harbinson, has been found guilty of sexually abusing a 13-year-old schoolgirl in an Orange Hall.
The 44-year-old, from Sheepwalk Road in the Co Antrim village of Stoneyford, has already been unanimously convicted of having topless pictures of the teenager on his mobile phone.
Harbinson was facing a number of charges, when the jury in his trial retired to consider their verdicts on Friday – but they failed to agree on five other charges, including indecently assaulting another girl aged 14.
He was acquitted of indecently assaulting a 12-year-old boy.
Craigavon Crown Court heard that Harbinson and the 13-year-old girl had exchanged over 1,700 text messages during an eight-month “affair” – he was originally caught by police with the girl in his car, three days after topless pictures of her were found on his phone.
Harbinson had allegedly begged her for kisses and told her he “could not wait until she was 16”.
On Monday, after six hours of deliberations over two days, the jury accepted that Harbinson had taken the girl to Stoneyford Orange Hall where he sexually touched and penetrated her and encouraged her to engage in sexual activity.
During his five-week trial, the accused’s answer to all of the claims was that he “didn’t do any of this – not a word of it, not a word”.
Concerning the “affair” with the schoolgirl, Harbinson maintained that “it never happened ….absolutely not …… nothing happened between us”.
Some of the crimes he was accused of, the former Orangeman said he found to be “terrible”, while he was “just utterly devastated”, by others and “could not believe it”.
As each of the verdicts were delivered by the jury’s madam foreperson, Harbinson stood in the dock looking shocked and angry at the outcome, while the families of the schoolgirls wept in the public gallery.
‘Hopelessly divided’
Initially the court was told that the guilty verdicts were all unanimous but, a short time later, the jury returned to say that the convictions had been majority verdicts in which ten of the jurors agreed, while two disagreed.
Later Judge Desmond Marrinan was about to order them to break from their deliberations to have lunch, when a note from the jury was sent into court.
Judge Marrinan told the jury that they had “laboured long and hard” over the verdicts they had already returned, but that it appeared from their note that they were “hoplessly divided” on the remaining five counts.
It was at this juncture that the judge said he accepted that, even if granted more time, nothing more could be achieved and excused the jury from any further deliberation.
Although Harbinson – who is subject to an intrim Sex Offenders’ order – faces the prospect of a re-trial on the outstanding charges, Judge Marrinan said he would proceed to sentence.
Initially Harbinson faced a total of 13 charges. The first 11 counts involved the 13-year-old schoolgirl, while the remaining two concerned a 14-year-old girl and a 12-year-old boy.
Of the 11 charges involving the 13-year-old, Harbinson was unanimously convicted of two charges of possessing “indecent photographs of a child”.
By majority verdicts, he was convicted of three charges of “sexual activity by an adult with a child”.
However, he was acquitted of two similar charges by the jury who could not reach any verdict on four other charges of “sexual activity”.
Concerning the charges involving the schoolboy and the 14-year-old, the jury unanimously found him “not guilty” of indecently assaulting the schoolboy, but failed to reach a verdict on the same count in the case of the schoolgirl.
Harbinson has been returned to jail to await sentencing for his convictions in April and will learn next month if he faces a re-trial.