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Murder victim Gerard Devlin's son sent to prison in Scotland

Gerard Devlin was stabbed to death in west Belfast in 2006
Gerard Devlin was stabbed to death in west Belfast in 2006 Gerard Devlin was stabbed to death in west Belfast in 2006

THE son of west Belfast stab victim Gerard Devlin has been sent to jail for offences including racist abuse.

Gary Devlin was sentenced to 26 months behind bars at Dunfermiline Sheriff’s Court in Scotland.

Devlin, whose address was given as St James’ Road in Belfast, was accused of four offences committed in June 2015 in Dunfermiline, including racially abusing a man, challenging him to a fight and then attacking in police officers by spitting and biting.

He admitted walking into a Tesco store in the Scottish town where he shouted, swore and uttered racist remarks to a man he also challenged to a fight.

He also pleaded to shouting swearing, using racially abusive and homophobic language towards four police officers.

The court heard he also assaulted a constable, attempted to head butt him, spat on his head and assaulted another PC and kicked and bit him on the body.

The 24-year-old witnessed his father Gerard Devlin (39) being stabbed to death in the Whitecliffe area of Ballymurphy in February 2006.

In 2009, when he was just 17, he was shot in the leg close to where his father had been killed.

West Belfast man Francisco Notarantonio was later sentenced to 11 years in jail for Mr Devlin’s manslaughter.

The Scottish court heard Devlin had suffered a brain injury and from post-traumatic stress disorder, attention deficit and has a heroin addiction - although his family say he has since kicked the deadly habit.

A solicitor for Mr Devlin told the court in June that he had a “very traumatic childhood," which included witnessing his father’s killing and receiving paramilitary threats.

His aunt Bernadette O’Rawe last night said her nephew had travelled to Scotland last year to after coming under paramilitary threat.

She said he received a similar threats earlier this year.

She explained that since his father died Devlin has received “multiple” beatings in addition to being shot.

Ms O’Rawe believes her nephew has been traumatised by his past.

“He has had a very, very tragic background and it’s very sad,” she said.

“This is a child who is a very vulnerable person.

“Gary gets overlooked and gets a bad hearing and nobody understands, this is a child with a brain injury because he does not have a facial disfigurement.”

Ms O’Rawe said Devlin is currently serving his sentence in Perth but efforts are being made to have him transferred to a prison in the north.