But the disgraceful approach just made her more determined to go into the witness box.
Toni Ogle-Johnston told the Sunday World that two days before the trial at Belfast Crown Court was due to take place, pals of Lammey made an outrageous bid to ‘con’ her into changing her mind about giving evidence.
Derek George Lammey
But the disgraceful approach just made her more determined to go into the witness box.
At that stage both 60-year-old Lammey and reported leading loyalist Stephen Matthews were due to stand trial on charges of unlawful assembly, affray and intimidation dating back to a show-of-strength in Pitt Park in February 2021.
Toni Ogle
News in 90 Seconds – October 21st
It was the Crown’s case that both Matthews and Lammey were part of a “threatening and intimidating group” of masked and hooded men who gathered in Pitt Park and then walked to the Ballymac Centre which was occupied by women and children.
While 62-year-old Matthews, who denies any links to crime, was cleared of all charges, Lammey was convicted of the offence of intimidation and on Thursday was sent to jail.
He’s to be sentenced on Wednesday but has already been told he face two or three years behind bars.
A well-known loyalist pal of Lammey and Matthews made a desperate ‘back-alley’ approach to mum-of-two Toni asking her to withdraw from the case.
Belfast murder victim Ian Ogle with daughter Toni in happier times.
Those inside the community centre at the time included the wife and daughter Toni of murdered community worker Ian Ogle.
Toni was a key witness at the non-jury trial held earlier this year at Belfast Crown Court and she described the feeling of fear that had gripped those inside as the masked mob gathered outside it.
“The weekend before the trial was about to start I was approached a well-known loyalist who passed on a message that I should withdraw my statement and not go to court,” says Toni.
“These were people who would have been loyal to the old UVF leadership which has since been stood down.
Masked gang in the Pitt Park area of east Belfast linked to UVF trouble
“They said it would ‘be in my best interests’ if I didn’t go. They wanted me to say I was too scared to go to court. They even tried to con me by saying if I said that and didn’t give evidence both Matthews and Lammey would still go to jail but just not for as long.
“But they must have thought I was stupid or something because I knew my evidence, which was the truth of what happened that day, was crucial to the case.
“I just told them directly, ‘I’ll see you in court’. They tried to intimidate me. They tried to con me but instead of scaring me they just motivated me even more to make sure I got up in that witness box and told the court what happened.
“The police told me afterwards my evidence may have been the difference to getting Derek Lammey convicted. I want them to know they inspired me to go to court with their behaviour.”
There’s no suggestion either Stephen Matthews or Derek Lammey were aware of the approach to Toni Ogle-Johnston.
Toni says since the change in UVF leadership – which came last year when the Shankill stood down at least eight top figures – she and her family have had no hassle from the UVF.
On Thursday a senior prosecution KC said the incident at Pitt Park involving up to 60 masked men “was on behalf of and for the benefit of a terrorist organisation’’ as specified in the Terrorism Act 2000.
He said the court did not have to identify which proscribed terrorist organisation was involved and “it could be inferred as the loyalist side of the house”.
The senior prosecutor said the “benefit’’ for a proscribed terrorist organisation was to “intimidate members of the public through their enforcement of power in that area”.
He told Judge Kerr that it was a “high culpability case given the number of men involved, which was quite sinister and also the defiance of the police presence at the time”.
The barrister said it was the prosecution view that the sentencing range for the offence was one of two to three years to act as a deterrence to the defendant and to the wider public.
Last night Toni told the Sunday World she has had to wait four years for this case to be closed.
“I’m glad Derek Lammey is behind bars because this case has gone on for far too long,” says Toni.
“When I was in that community centre I was 11 weeks pregnant with and I was absolutely terrified. I was pregnant with twins and those babies who were inside me are now four years old and at nursery school – that tells you how long we’ve had this hanging over us.
“Since the old leadership has been stood down my family has had no hassle from the UVF.”
It had been claimed by those supporting the loyalist gathering of 40 masked and hooded men that it was a peaceful protest aimed at a group they claimed had been “torturing” residents and said masks were only worn because of Covid.
But the judge at Belfast Crown Court determined the gathering of hooded and masked loyalists was a show-of-strength.
“The conviction of Derek Lammey is great news because his conviction is proof of what happened on that day despite what others made it out to be,” Toni Ogle-Johnston told us previously.
“Plain and simple – like we always said – it was a show-of-strength to intimidate people in the area, including my family.
“It was a genuinely terrifying experience and now a Crown Court judge has confirmed that.”
The crowd gathered outside the centre for a short period and some comments were directed to those inside before the group dispersed.
When she was called to give evidence, Toni described the scene inside the centre as “absolute chaos” and said the incident left her “terrified”.
Defence counsel Joseph O’Keefe KC said told the court on Thursday his client Lammey “played no organisational role” in the show of strength and there was “no concrete benefit to any proscribed terrorist organisation”.
He said in his view the sentencing range was one of one to two years and added the defendant had already spent two months on remand.
The judge remanded Lammey into custody and said he would sentence him on Wednesday.