NORTH Belfast loyalist Winston 'Winkie' Irvine’s prison sentence has been doubled by the Court of Appeal.
It was ruled today, Wednesday, that the original two-and-a-half year term was unduly lenient. Irvine will now serve five years.
Back in May, Irvine (49), of Ballysillan Road, was sentenced to 30 months for firearms offences. He pleaded guilty to a raft of charges relating to the seizure of weapons and ammunition by police in North Belfast in June 2022.
He had been sentence at Belfast Crown Court alongside co-accused Robin Workman (54), of Shore Road in Larne.
Referring to character references in his original trial, Lady Chief Justice Dame Siobhan Keegan said: "The references point to positives in the defendant's life, including peacemaking and community activities, but they cannot rationally excuse this offending behaviour leading to a sentence below the minimum term.
"The offending was a breach of trust placed in him by the many people with whom he has interacted."
