Stone trial shown video footage

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/northern_ireland/7409058.stm

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Video footage of Michael Stone launching his alleged murder bid at the Northern Ireland Assembly has been played at the loyalist killer's trial.

The footage was captured by TV camerasthere to record the day Martin McGuinness was to designated deputy first minister in November 2006.

Stone is accused of attempting to murder Mr McGuinness and Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams.

He denies all charges, claiming his actions were performance art.

During the second day of the trial the court was shown footage from BBC and ITNcameras.

Stone, who was dressed in a denim jacket, denim jeans and a white shirt, satimpassively in the dock as the videos were played before trial judge, Mr JusticeDeeny.

The footage showed security guards grappling with Stone as he tried to enter theGreat Hall through the main revolving door.

One grabbed Stone while his female colleague seized his gun, which later turnedout to be fake, and struck him over the head with it.

Throughout, Stone was heard shouting: "No surrender".

Moments before the incident, the ITN camera had been filming a press conferenceinvolving both Gerry Adams and Martin McGuinness and other senior Sinn Feinfigures only yards from the revolving door.

No surrender. No sell-out, Paisley. Adams andMcGuinness are war criminals, war criminals... Put them down Michael Stone

The cameras kept rolling as the events unfolded, capturing journalists andphotographers being evacuated through the building's corridors and out of theeast door.

The film crews then made their way to the front of the assembly building,where they again filmed Stone, this time lying on the ground being restrainedby four guards.

He was heard shouting: "No surrender. No sell-out, Paisley. Adams andMcGuinness are war criminals, war criminals... Put them down."

About 10 minutes after the cameras started recording the incident, policeofficers arrived on the scene and took Stone into custody.

Along with attempted murder of Adams and McGuinness, Stone is also charged withpossession of explosives, three knives, an axe, a garrotte and an imitationfirearm. He denies all 14 counts.

At the hearing at Belfast Crown Court, defence barrister Arthur Harvey QC, asked why the Police Service of Northern Ireland had only requested thefootage from the BBC after the trial began last Monday.

He also noted that, although the ITN footage had been obtained by the PSNI inDecember 2006, officers had only viewed it for the first time last week.

Footage obtained by Irish national broadcaster, RTE, and Ulster Television willbe shown to the court on Tuesday.