A TAXI driver who was shot last Sunday in Belfast has been denied travel to Scotland for specialist surgery, according to his solicitor.
Sean O’Reilly, 49, was shot twice in the Dunmurry area of West Belfast in an attack which police believe was linked to an ongoing feud between dissident republican factions in the city.
Mr. O’Reilly’s solicitor, Peter Corrigan of Phoenix Law, told the BBC that his client’s access was being denied on anti-terrorism grounds, calling the decision ‘absolutely disgraceful’.
It’s understood that after Mr. O’Reilly was rushed to the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast, he underwent emergency surgery to remove a bullet lodged in his collarbone. He received a scan which revealed a severed nerve in his left bicep and immediate arrangements were made for him to be flown by air ambulance to Glasgow in order to repair the damage.
According to Mr. Corrigan: “The surgeon has said he has to be there before Saturday or the nerves will die.
“The air ambulance was ready but then he was told that the authorities have refused to take him under anti-terrorism legislation.”
Mr. Corrigan has also said that he believes the decision was unlawful and that Mr. O’Reilly’s legal team will be launching a bid to challenge the authorities’ decision in court.
In the hours after the attack, Republican Network for Unity – a small political party with suspected links to the dissident group Óglaigh na hÉireann – claimed Mr. O’Reilly as one of its members.