Ian Ogle: Murder trial shown footage of men leaving country

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Ian OgleImage source, PACEMAKER
Image caption,

Ian Ogle, 45, was beaten and stabbed 11 times near his home in Cluan Place in east Belfast in January 2019

A trial has been shown CCTV footage of men leaving the country after a man was murdered.

Ian Ogle died after being assaulted and stabbed beside his home in east Belfast in 2019.

Five people have been charged with murder.

Two men have already pleaded guilty to murder, the other three men are currently on trial having pleaded not guilty to killing the 45-year-old.

Glenn Rainey, of Ballyhalbert Caravan Park in County Down, Robert Spiers, from Millars Park in Dundonald, and Alan 'Bo' Ervine, from Litchfield Street in Belfast, all deny murder.

Larne ferry terminal

The prosecution alleges that one of the defendants, Mr Ervine, travelled with a friend to Scotland by ferry from Larne, the day after Mr Ogle was murdered.

CCTV footage was produced in court on Tuesday showing what the prosecution described as two men being dropped off outside Larne ferry terminal and two people hugging each other before the men went inside.

It also showed what the prosecution described as two men using cash to buy tickets separately at the terminal.

Prosecutors say Mr Ervine returned a few days later, on 3 February, through Belfast Port, and was arrested by appointment the next day.

Dublin airport

Other CCTV footage showed two men going through Dublin Airport the day after the murder.

The prosecution claimed that Mr Rainey, along with Jonny Brown - who has already pleaded guilty to murder - took a flight from Dublin to Thailand via Moscow.

It is also alleged that the tickets had not been bought in advance and that Mr Rainey had phoned Aeroflot, the Russian national airline on the day of departure.

The prosecution claimed cash was used to pay for the tickets at the ticket desk.

Prosecutors also said Mr Rainey was arrested at Manchester Airport on 3 March 2019 after arriving on a flight from Bangkok.

The prosecution said he claimed the reason he did not have any clothes with him was because he kept clothes at his girlfriend's house in Thailand.

Jonny Brown, 38, from Whinney Hill in Dundonald and Mark Sewell, 45, of Glenmount Drive in Newtownabbey, were given life sentences after pleading guilty to murder.