He also pleaded guilty to making a threat to the reporter that he would damage his home
A West Belfast man today pleaded guilty to trying to menace an award-winning journalist into removing a newspaper article and threatening to damage his home.
William Francis Ward, 29, now with an address at Bonnyton Place, Ayrshire in Scotland, appeared at Belfast Crown Court where his case was listed for mention. Defence barrister Luke Curran told the court that Ward, formerly of Cherry Close in Dunmurry, had previously pleaded guilty to a charge of harassment.
Mr Curran asked that his guilty plea to this charge be “vacated” and the defendant should be arraigned on three other counts he faced on the bill of indictment.
The first charge stated that on dates between August 28, 2024 and September 3, 2024 he “attempted unlawfully by force, threats or menaces or in some other way to cause another person, namely Steven Moore, to do an act, namely remove an online newspaper article from the Sunday World website”.
After the charge was put him by the clerk of the court, Ward replied: “Guilty.”
He also pleaded guilty to making a threat to the reporter on August 28, 2024, that he would damage his home.
Ward further admitted sending a message to the reporter which “conveyed a threat of death or serious harm and at the time of sending that message you intended that an individual encountering the message would fear that the threat would be carried out”.
Following the guilty pleas, prosecution barrister Kate McKay told Judge Gordon Kerr KC that the harassment charge would be “left on the books and not to be proceeded with without the leave of this court or the Court of Appeal”.
Judge Kerr ordered a pre-sentence report to be compiled on the defendant by the Probation Board and said he would pass sentence on January 12, 2026.
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