The trial of a man who allegedly plotted to kill former UDA leader Johnny Adair took a strange turn yesterday when Celtic and Ireland striker Anthony Stokes was mentioned in the proceedings.
The High Court in Glasgow heard that the home of Antoin Duffy had been bugged by police between August and October 2013. The jury was yesterday played a recording obtained during this period in which Duffy told his girlfriend about approaching Stokes in a pub and asking for help from Stokes' father in obtaining a weapons.
I wanted to go and talk to Anthony Stokes and see if his dad could get a message to Donzo about these fucking weapons.
I seen Anthony Stokes tonight and ah says listen, I need to talk to your dad and then everybody started jumping in going uh, blah, blah, blah, know what I mean.
Duffy went on to explain in the recording that those who were with Stokes in the pub made it abundantly clear that the Ireland striker had nothing to do with what Duffy was looking for.
They’re singing songs and all this carry-on, saying you can’t do this. I said leave me alone. Not one of them has ever had to go on an operation where they got shot.
QC Derek Ogg questioned Detective Constable Ross Arnott about his analysis of the recording.
He approached Anthony Stokes to ask if he could speak to his dad to speak to somebody else about guns and everyone seemed to take exception to this?
Arnott replied: 'Yes'.
Duffy, along with fellow defendants Martin Hughes, Paul Sands, and John Gorman, deny conspiring to murder Johnny Adair and Sam McCrory, both former high profile figures in loyalist organisations.
[Scotsman]
