News

Derry councillor Gary Donnelly denies he's 'Donzo'

Independent councillor Gary Donnelly
Independent councillor Gary Donnelly Independent councillor Gary Donnelly

High-profile Derry councillor Gary Donnelly has denied he was a man referred to as "Donzo" during evidence in the Adair murder plot trial.

The court heard that Anton Duffy (39) was secretly recorded telling a woman how he had approached Celtic football star Anthony Stokes in a Glasgow pub in 2013.

He claimed that when he tried to speak to Stokes about guns, regulars in the bar reacted angrily.

Duffy said: “I wanted to go and talk to Anthony Stokes and see if his dad could get a message to Donzo about these f***ing weapons.

“I seen Anthony Stokes tonight and ah says listen I need to talk to your dad and then everybody started jumping up going uh blah, blah blah, know what I mean."

A leading member of dissident republican political group the 32 County Sovereignty Movement, Mr Donnelly has in the past been given the nickname “Donzo” although it is not a name he uses himself.

However, the independent councillor denied he was the person referred to in Duffy’s bugged conversation.

“I’ve been sceptical about this case but anyway I don’t think that was me he was referring to,” he said.