No verdict in second IRA 'threats' trial

A jury failed to reach a verdict on two former IRA prisoners accused of using threats in a bid to pocket a £150,000 (€172,000) pay-off, court officials said today.

Nick Mullen, 61, once jailed for being a “quartermaster” for an IRA active service unit, and Ronald McCartney, 56, who tried to kill three policemen in the mid-1970s, were alleged to have warned a pair of businessmen to hand over the money “or face the consequences”.