The Guardian from London, Greater London, England • 2

THE GUARDIAN Friday March 29 1985 Death sentences for IRA raid killers of two armed detectives guarding a post office van as it began a delivery round to post offices in Co Meath. a HOME NEWS 800 workers to go when special bar production ends Union blames steel jobs axe on Government mon murder and sentenced to life imprisonment. A fifth man, Noel McCabe, aged 43, of Dundalk, pleaded guilty to the robbery in the special Criminal Court on Wednesday and was given a suspended 10-year gaol sentence. The court was told he had admitted to police that he drove three men away from the robbery but was horrified when he heard that a detective had been shot. The murdered man was one sively in the dock while the full terms of the death sentence were pronounced by the presiding judge, Mr -Justice Liam Hamilton.

The sentences on Thomas Eccles, aged 25, Brian McShane, 21, and Patrick McPhillips, 29. all from the border town of Dundalk, were mandatory after the court convicted them of charges of capital murder. Capital punishment was abolished in the Irish Republic 20 years ago for all categories of murder except the killing of the climate of a reduction in demand." Mr Pat Duffy, Labour MP for Sheffield Attercliffe, said: "No-one can have fought harder than the unionists at Tinsley Park to combat this threat but I know that even though it has not come as a surprise they will be as depressed as I am." BSC attributed the redundancies to the continued fall in demand for engineering steels particularly from the motor industry because of higher car imports. The corporation also pointed to the need to maintain competiveness if its engineering steels division is to survive. France and Italy have recently invested heavily in special steels, BSC'S special billet production works are operating at below 70 per cent of capacity on a total of only 10 shifts a week between the three plants.

Losses are growing in its overall special steels operations due to decreasing demand and rising raw materials and fuel costs. By David Simpson, Business Correspondent At least 800 jobs will be lost soon at the British Steel Corporation's Tinsley Parks works, Sheffield, when the plant's special billet producing facility closes, it was announced yesterday. The corporation revealed that it is to concentrate its special bar production, most or which is sold to the British automotive industry, at its two neighbouring Stocksbridge and Aldwarke plants. Tinsley Park special billet works employs 1,100 workers and up to 300 will be offered jobs at the other plants. Mr Hoy Bishop, the divisional secretary of the Iron and Steel Trades Confederation, blamed the redundancies on the Government.

"They have reached the manufacturing base of this country and have hit the engineering industry which is the special steels main customer," he said. These products are not wanted any more became the Government have created I Official Secrets Act charges dropped ie0i thai Mazt nnmrtjtt thj Easter mail at the vrovosed cruise missile base to the Defence Secretary, Michael Heseltine, Next to Mr Heselttne ts the pro-cruise LadyOlga MaxOand, Picture by Kenneth Saunders Heseltine feels the might of Molesworth By Martin Wainwright THE first battalion, Molesworth Irregulars (Lady Olga's Own), deployed In London yesterday to campaign against CND's Easter vigil at the proposed cruise missile base in Cambridgeshire. They were welcomed by Lady Olga Maitland, organiser of the pro-cruise Women and Families for Defence, who shepherded them via the House of Commons to Number 10 and the try of Defence. On the steps of the Ministry, the Defence Secretary, Mr Michael Heseltine, sympathised with the 25 villagers at the prospect of up to 50,000 visitors during Holy Week. He told them It is absolutely monstrous that a small group of people who lost the election and have lost all the arguments should seek to im By Richard Norton-Taylor Official Secrets Act charges against a Home Office civil servant accused of passing in- formation were dropped yesterday.

Mr Alan Lowther, aged 44, had been accused of passing information about a report by the directorate of industries and farms, which provides work for prisoners. The charges were brought with the consent of the Attorney-General, Sir Michael Havers. The Crown offered no evi dence against Mr Lowther at the Old Bailey and acknowledged that the value of the documents he had passed to a close colleague, Mr Alban Connolly, was "very minor" and contained information Mr Connolly was already well aware of. MriLoirtheriras tnvolvedrin' an investigation into allegations of serious irregularities in dealings between the industries and farms directorate and private companies. Three Home Office officials faced charges under the 1908 Prevention of Corruption Act According to the Home Office, Mr Connolly has also been suspended but has not been charged The charges were dropped vesterday with the consent of the Attorney-General.

Mr Geoffrey Robertson, defending, said in court: "I would like to emphasise on Mr behalf that there was never any question of corruption or leaking of secret "Indeed, if the reforms Solicemen, prison officers and iplomatB. The last hanging was in 1954. Since the troubles started in Northern Ireland, several people have been convicted and sentenced to death for the murder of southern policemen. Successive governments have commuted the sentences but stipulated that those convicted serve 40 years In poison without remission. A fourth man, Patrick Duffy, aged 35, from Dromiskin, Co Louth, was convicted of com pose their views in this way." The delegation from Ratepayers Against the Molesworth Settlement (RAMS) left a letter at Downing Street asking the Prime Minister to take measures to rid their area of peace campers.

They then spent 45 minutes with Mr Heseltine trying in vain to persuade him not to sell parcels of land round the base which they fear may fall into the hands of CND StffrpatMseiBd Their coach, which was 40 minutes late after a rigorous search by police when it passed thBough the "residents travel permit" cordon round the base on its way to collect them, was met at the Commons by two local Conservative MPb, Mr John Major and Mr William Powell. They contrasted the posl- Public Services Association, which is balloting members over the next fortnight on industrial action from April 15, said: "If it is an attempt to undermine the ballot, all it will do is make sure we get a yes vote, because it is so insulting. To make a second offer of that nature is just going to incense people." He believed that the Government would on Thursday match the 5 per cent offered to the rail unions. "I wouldn't be surprised, in view of the pressure that would put on teachers, if they also offer us arbitration." In a circular to its 150,000 members last night, the union described the offer as derisory and said it should remove any belief that they could get a negotiated settlement without industrial action. Mr Gerry Gillman, general move on lead Greenpeace said in Manchester yesterday that Octel had been singled out because it controls 70 per cent of the world market of Tetra Ethyl and Tetra Methyl, lead compounds added to petrol.

Professor Derek Bryce-Smith. of Reading University, said that if the compounds were accidentally released into the atmosphere and came into contact with the population of Merseyside, "a countless number of peope would go insane The volatile compounds are said to be among the most powerful lead poisons known. Greenpeace says that 10 EEC the coverage of the Brighton bomb, brilliantly handled at the time and in a subsequent in-dept special issue. "The second was the Argus's appeal for the victims of the Ethiopian famine, culminating in the editor's graphic on-the-spot reporting of the relief effort." The title Reporter of the Year was awarded to Jon Swain of the Sunday Times for his disclosure of contacts between the National Union of Mineworkers and the Libyan regime. Coming so soon after the murder of a policewoman by the Libyans it had quite excep 1 From Joe Joyce In Dublin Three men were sentenced to death in Dublin yesterday for their part in an IRA post office robbery in which a detective was murdered last August.

Tho Wirpe indues of the non jury Special Criminal Court fixed April 18 for their execution, but the sentence is cer tain to ne commuted 10 years' imprisonment for each of them bythe Irishgovernment. The three listened impas- NEWS IN BRIEF Liver unit cash plea rejected THE Health Minister yesterday m-ioMprl nlpa fnr 200.000 to save one of the country's three liver transplant uiuis, wrues Andrew Veitck. TWi. K'onnofh f.Iarlrn snirl that he was amazed at what he termed uirmmgnam neaiin authority's unreasonable de- minH fri oYtna mnnfiv tn keen the unit at the city's Queen JUiizaDein uospuai open. HKo unft Tine hppn firvrrpd tn refuse new patients after a mix- up over a uovernment gram.

The authority thought it had hum nmnriccri 14R2.000. for next year, but found the Govern ment expected it to provrae more than ha'f the money. Aiithnrii renresentat i a moAf Ttanay.fmA.Tit nf TTanltti and Social Security officials today in an attempt to soive xne prouiem. Mr Clarke said last night We moils tOftannn nvnMnhln in srirtitnonai mnnnv to rne unit. t-mntaA flint tfaa health BUI UUIU.U 1' authority should respond by closing rne unit to jiew patients." War minister's papers sold TOR nnlitiral naners of Leslie Hore-Belislha, who was Secretary ior war wnen ine secona War broke out, were sold by tha iift.innppM Philli'DS.

in London yesterday for 19,800. They went to a firm of London dealers, Maggs Brothers. The papers, Maggs said, are going to a research collection in. Wc cnn rttrv nnpn to Man in court after siege Edward Greenwood, unemployed, of Levenshulme, Manchester, will appear before Manchester City magistrates today, charged with false imprisonment of a 14-year-old boy and criminal damage to a house in Glarence Road. Longslght, Manchester Trtlinft currniinriMl n.

Ti'niiK in Clarence Road for nine hours yesterday, after being called to what is believed to (have been a domestic dispute. LBC chief quits post MR GEORGE Ffitch (above) has resigned as managing director of London Broadcasting Company because of ill health, LBC Chairman Mr Christopher Chata-way announced yesterday. Mr Bill Coppen-Gardner, LBC's general manager, will be acting chief executive until a successor is found. Before joining LBC, Mr Ffitch (held posts with ITN, The Economist and the Daily Express. Ghanaian girl allowed to stay LOVELACE AKWEI, the 16-year-old Ghanaian girl who came to Britain last October to join her mother because her grandmother could no longer look after her, has been given permission to stay by the Home Office.

The Home Office said originally that Lovelace, whose mother Mrs Edith Akwei is a Commonwealth citizen resident in Britain for 14 years, should return to Ghana to seek entry clearance. Fuse box warning MERSEYSIDE Trading standard officers warned yesterday that thousands of domestic fuse boxes installed in the last few years could be potential fire hazard. They issued "a nationwide safety alert" about the Tamlex brand fuse box in which sev-eral instances of serious overheating had been discovered. A spokesman said that about 40,000 were made between 1975 and 1974, with part of last two years' production having faulty components. Armed men surrounded them at the post office at the village of Drumree and Garda TTVor.1- Vfn-nA ncrprl 97.

Was shot dead. The raiders got away With The raid and the shooting led to criticism within the police of the method of delivering cash to post offices and tn a review of their procedures. retirement bungalow near the base 18 months ago, said that he had no liking for cruise missiles but was strongly opposed to the vigil. "When the peace campers first came, we thought, well, we've got to put up with a bit more traffic and a bit of disturbance," be said. "But we didn't expect to be damn well invaded." Ms Alison Whyte, of CND, said that the campaign's Easter protest at Greenham Common in 1983 had not had a destructive effect on the area and that stewards would make sure that the Molesworth vigil was well organised.

Participants had all been issued with the Country Code. It is astonishing that Mr Heseltine, who has never met a single delegation from CND, should drop everything to talk to this completely unrepresentative group," she said. Tories fail to take NUS post By Andrew Moncur, Education Staff Conservatives were badly defeated at the National Union of Students' conference yesterday When, for the first time in more than 10 years, not a single Tory won election to the leadership. The executive election results came through after a row provoked by militant Tories at the conference in Blackpool. One Conservative delegate had to make a rapid escape from the hall after calling for the execution of Nelson Mandela.

Throughout the week, members of more rightwing factions of the Federation of Conservative Students have openly admitted their intention of causing offence to other NUS delegates. They believe that membership of the national union should cease to be compulsory for the great majority of students. Their antics have embarrassed moderate Conservative student unionists, who have failed to gain places on the NUS executive. Axe murder' Brenda Nelson, aged 39, of Poole Road, Cross Gate, Leeds, was remanded in custody for a week when she appeared before Leeds magistrates yesterday, accused of murdering a neighbour, Mrs Joan Sheldon, with an axe on Tuesday night after a dispute over a garden tree. Reporting restrictions were lifted to allow an appeal for witnseses.

Times; Sports Journalist of the Year, Neil Wilson of the Daily Mail; uojumnist or me xeai, Stephen Pile of the Sunday Times; and Critic of the Year, Colin Amery of the Financial Times. The Campaigning Journalist of the Year award went to a Daily Express team of David Benson, Michael O'Flaherty, Alun Rees and John Warden for their coverage of complaints about a newly introduced breath-test machine. Two Guardian journalists, David Rose and Waldemar JanuBzezak, were commended for their work under the Young Journalist and Critic sections, David McKie Many a slip o'er the Irish Sea MPs who'd been wondering just what was going on between London and Dublin over the future of Northern Ireland were thrown into even deeper confusion yesterday when the Prime Minister came to the Commons to answer 122 questions, a paltry 120 of which asked her to list her engagements for the day. Pressed to allay fears roused by reports of a possible deal," Mrs Thatcher assured the House that the Secretary of State for Scotland had been much concerned and had put out a statement about them. What on earth could this mean? Had we stumbled here on to yet another lunatic Foreign Office wheeze, this time to make the province part of Scotland? Apparently not.

As she swiftly confirmed, Mrs Thatcher had meant the Northern Ireland Secretary, Douglas Hurd, not Scotland's George Younger. Yet the slip was revealing. Her mind must already have been on her next engagement, a meeting with Scottish Tory MPs about the level of Scotland's rates. There has been trouble enough in England over local government this session with 19 MPs among them Mr Heath, who usually prefers abstention voting against the government late on Wednesday in favour of a successor authority for the Greater London Council. But compared with the passions sweeping Scotland, all this seems relatively tame.

The routine woes of ratepayers nationwide have The Day in Politics, page 23 there been compounded by a revaluation which, though it's said to have set some large employers dancing in the streets, has set off waves of plangent protest almost everywhere else. There were late night debates on the issue on Tuesday, when Labour's George Foulkes raised dt on the Consolidated Fund Bill, and on Wednesday, when the Government sought approval for a further Rate Support Grant Some backbenchers put much of the trouble down to the profligacy of municipal socialism, but others talked of Government betrayal." John Corrie (Cunninghame N) sadd that in 11 years at Westminster he had never had such a bitter, angry and "occasionally vile" postbag. While Albert McQuarrie (Banff) called for a nationwide revolt against the monster that was revaluation. But perhaps that revolt is under way already. A poll in the Glasgow Herald put the Conservatives in third place with 19 per cent of the Scottish vote, which if repeated in a general election would leave only one Tory representing Scotland on the Westminster benches Bill Walker (Tayside a man not often talked of previously as a future Scottish Secretary.

Mr Younger was missing from the Government front benches yesterday. So, more surprisingly, was the Em- gloyment Secretary, Tom ing. Yesterday saw the launching of his employment white paper, succesor to the Kcynes-powered 1944 blockbuster which Mrs still carries in her handbag. The white paper itself was present in the Commons all right, though to the dismay of such variegated traditionalists as the Speaker and Mr Kinnock it was clad in a cover of brilliant blue, a circumstance attributed by Labour conspiracy theorists to the malign intervention of Saatchi and Saatchi. But when the moment for statements came, there was no King which some Labour members, logically enough, chose to regard as an abdication.

They were just as suspicious about Mr Biffen's announcement that a debate on the Interception of Communications Bill, planned for Monday, would now be taken on Tuesday, thus allowing time on Monday for the guillotining of the Transport Bill. Mr Kinnock (43 yesterday many happy returns) scented a plot to convince hundreds of bus workers and passengers, due to converge on Westminster on Tuesday, that their journey was no longer really necessary. Mr Biffen didn't confirm if, but his motives remained elusive. Perhaps, given some of the things we've heard recently about dirty tricks in MI5, someone simply considered it imprudent to stage the debate on April Fools' Day. Civil Service unions say 'insulting5 pay offer sets scene for action Sheffield continues battle on rate fixing ttm at Mnlesivnrth with Brit ain's other cruise base, Greenham Common in Berkshire, and Mr Powell told the group: "Whatever else we may think about Greenham Common, there is a highly-motivated group of women there who nave imposed their own discipline.

At Molesworth it has Just been a criminal riff-raff." Major Wig Scott, a retired army officer and chairman of RAMS, said that Molesworth had no common land surrounding it, unlike Greenham Common, and was unsuitable for large demonstrations. Lady Olga, to general approval, suggested that the CND relocate the demonstration In the Albert Hall. The villagers said that most local people, whatever their political views, were nervous about the size of the Easter protest. Mr Charles Stuart, who is 71 and built a secretary of the Society of Civil and Public Servants, which already has a ballot ma-jority for industrial action, said The Government's original offer was derisory and insulting. This latest offer is simply laughable." Mr Clive Brook, assistant general secretary of the Inland Revenue Staff Federation said It is totally inadequate.

It still doesn't even meet the cash limit." The federation, which failed by a tiny majority to get a majority for action will ballot again on April 10. Mr Brook said: "We are confident that with the paucity of the offer so far, our members will say The Institution of Professional Civil Servants, which has not threatened industrial action, also rejected the offer. shipments countries use between 25,000 and 30,000 tonnes of lead additives in petrol per year. Octel said last night that it regretted attempts to stir up needless fears. The company had been involved in the distribution of the compounds to refineries all over the world for the past 40 years.

Like many other chemicals, the compounds were classified as hazardous and had to conform to extremely high standards demanded by national and international legislation, which also applied to the design of the bulk chemical tankers on charter to the company. tional importance," the judges said. Colin Smith of the Observer was declared International Reporter of the Year for his "outstanding reporting on the Lebanon, Jordan, Israel and Iran Greg Hadfleld of the Western Morning News won the Provincial Journalist of the Year award for his investigations into the effects on British servicemen who took part in Pacific tests of nuclear weapons 40 years ago. Other awards were: Young Journalist of the Year, Michael Evans of the Keighley News Specialist Writer of the Year, John Lloyd of the Financial Alan Lowther integrity never at fault." jre(mettedvby the partes' ComnWeitf 1972 had been' In effect, this matter would not have troubled the courts." It is understood that the investigation: -into the contracts, which have Jbeen questioned by the Comptroller and Auditor General, Gordon Downey, concern in- part instructions to the directorate, which has been told the give greater priority to making profits. The information Mr Lowther passed to Mr Connolly concerned a contract about toy typewriters.

Mr Lowther, an accountant who has been a civil servant for 18 years, said after yesterday's hearing. My integrity was never at fault." He was suspended last June and charged four months later. group would not always be solid. Mr Chadwick said there were at least 18 Labour councillors who were "wetting their knickers" about what was happening. "They are hoping tnat uavia jmuwusii.

win be able, to save them." he said Asked how long the council could survive without income from rates, Mr Blunkett said that it could carry on for week's before running out of money. Leicester City Council last night set a legal rate. But the council is committed to a budget that the ruling Labour group say cannot be met from the money raised. The Government has limited the council to a 25.2p rate which will leave the council more than 8 million short at the end of this financial year if they proceed with the budget plans. Some of the cash will be found from reserves and by moving money from one balance to another.

But the council leader, Mr Peter Sousby, admitted that the shortfall was still large and made the anti-ratecapping campaign more urgent. Mr Terence Harris, the Conservative group leader, believes however that the council will be able to carry out a full programme this year by using up reserves. He called the council's decision a climb-down. talks ing that such reports were entirely unfounded. The Prime Minister did not turn him- down flat.

But although she pointed to official ministerial statements in the past few days, she failed to deny entirely that efforts are being made in London and Dublin to reach an agreed formula for the future of Ulster. Mrs Thatcher is to meet Dr Garret FItzGerald, her Irish or? posite number, for informal talks on the subject over the weekend on the eve of the Brussels EEC summit. By John Ardill, Labour Correspondent The Government yesterday made an unexpected increase in the pay offer to Civil Service unions which was immedi ately rejected. Some union leaders saw it as eviaence tnat the Government fears the planned industrial action, and forecast that it would boost the vote for a strike. Union leaders were expect-inK an improved offer next Thursday when they believe that a further increase will be on the table then.

Yesterday's offer, sent by letter, is for an increase of 4 or 4.4 per cent, whichever is the greater. The previous offer was 4 for those earning up to 6.550 and 4 per cent lor others. Mr John El'is, deputy general secretary of the Civil and Greenpeace By Michael Morris Greenpeace, the environmen tal organisation, yesterday launched a campaign tor an immediate halt to shipments of lead additives from Associated Octel's main distribution port at Ellesmere Port, Merseyside. Greenpeace intends to alert local authorities to the possible risks to Liverpool's population from a collision involving one of the company's vessels in the Mersey. It also wants the Common Market to speed up a decision reached by environment ministers last week to introduce leadfree petrol 'by Octo-be 1989.

By Michael Parkin Sheffield City Council again deferred fixing a rate yester-day to give the Environment Secretary a chance to discuss with local authorities the problems of jobs, services and the inner cities. Mr Ian Podmore, the chief executive, warned councillors that anyone who voted to defer setting a legal rate before the end of March would face the risk of legal proceedings. The council decided to adjourn until April 28 unless the policy committee decides on an earlier date. Mr David Blunkett, the La-bour leader, said afterwards that the Labour group's display of solidarity was magnificent. All 59 members voted for the adjournment despite taunts that the group would fall apart and capitulate under the pressure.

If the law was brought into play, the Labour group would make sure that everyone knew what it was fighting for, he said. He forecast that 10 or 12 local authorities would still not have made a rate by Sunday evening. "We hope that pressure will yield some fruit." Mr Blunkett scorned a suggestion by Mr David Chadwick, the Liberal group leader, that he would eventually ally him-self with the Labour moder-ates, set a rate, and isolate himself from the left wing. But he admitted that because of the pressures, the Labour Bomb coverage wins editor top award More Anglo-Irish By a Staff Reporter The editor of the Brighton Evening Argus, Mr David Williams, today won the Journalist of the Year award for his coverage of two stories which dominated headlines around the world in 1984. In the annual British Press Awards, announced this morning, Mr Williams's leadership of his editorial staff during the past year was described as exceptional.

In their citation, the panel of judges, made up of respresentatlves of the newspaper industry, said On two major stories the Argus matched anything done by the national press. The first was By Ian Aitken Political Editor The Prime Minister refused yesterday to reassure Conservative and Unionist MPs that there was no foundation in the recent spate of newspaper reports suggesting a new Anglo-Irish initiative designed to solve the Northern Ireland problem. Mrs Thatcher was questioned in the Commons by Sir John Biggs-Davison, the chairman of the Tory Northern Ireland Com-jmittee. He sought to congratulate Mrs Thatcher for suggest.