THE PREVENTION OF TERRORISM ACT acoant and has lived almost all her life in England.
Nora Malloney last week.
what life in England means under the PTA.
They were picked up as they stepped off the Belfast - Liverpool boat after a holiday in the north of Ireland. Martin was the first to be accosted by the plain clothes policemen. When they looked round and saw Annette with him the police told each other: "Better have her in as well.
They took them to the lock-up" at Bridewell prison where they Informed Annette that she was being held under the PTA. When she asked if she could make a phone call, the police laughed and said; "Like hell you can. It was only because Annette managed to convince them that she needed to fix up a baby sitter for her child that they eventually agread.
Laughed Even then, it was to be no ordinary phone call. The police wrote down what she had to say, and when Annette departed from the police script to inform her mother that she was being held under the PTA, the police slammed the phone down. They told her: "You shouldn't have done that" - nad then laughed.
Annette was taken to a cell in which there was a broken toilet which kept flushing and dripping. That by itself was enough to keep her awake. But there were added delights: the central beating was kept on full on a day in which temperatures outside reached the 80st and a two hundred watt bulh was kept on constantly.
And if all that was not sufficient to keep the girl awake the police questioned her every hour for fortyeigit bours. Sometimes it was only for a few ninutes at a time; sametimes they just caine in, asked one ANNETTE MALLONEY has just turned seventeen. Before her arrest under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTAl two weeks ago she had never been arrested or even questioned by the police. She speaks with a broad London Until two weeks ago she had never met, talked to, or associated with any "terrorists". But two weeks ago she did. Two weeks ago she met the Liverpool police - the only terrorists my daughter ever met', said What happened to Annette and her boyfriend Martin Lavery more than bears Nora out. Quite simply it was frightening; a harsh and stark example of question, stared at ber for twenty minutes, and then left.
Annette, who suiters from asthma, did not sieep a wink during this time. 'I did not know whether it was might or day it seemed like a torture chamber Of course she protested, But it did Ettle pood. On one occasion five policemen and one policewomar. rushed into her cell, sat on her, and took her shoes off, When solicitors and her parents stacted phooing Bridewell, the police informed Annette: "They shouldn't do that, they ll only get you into more trouble? And throughout all this they kept coming hack co her cell They asked questions straight out of the pages of 1984. When they discovered that Martin played in a folk group, they came back to Annette and asked a whole series of weird questions. It's un illegal group. you know. Why? Because they play rebel song terrorist, they said. But when Martin asked them to chock with Northern Ireland they retused.
informing him. "This is the room we do you over in."
Cynical be too was in a constant state of laughed at when he asked for an explanation of why he had been picked up. Laughter, in fact, seemed the connion response Martin was being subjected to similar treatment. You are a known his local police station in Portadown, Instead they took him to a room, followed home He too was allowed no sleep;
fear and apprehension; he too was them a lesson among the Liverpool terrorists. When Martin and Annette asked for the names of those questioning them, cynical laughter accompanied the 'not fucking likely"
Eventually they were released. But even then it didn't end. They were followed to the railway station and when they arrived in London, exhausted and near collapse, they were So way did this happen to them! When Nora Malloney asked the local Hackner police to investigate, a policeman relayed what his Liverpool colleagues had told him: "They diún't seem to be willing to co operate so we thought we'd teach That was one reason. Another was given to Annette herself. As they were finally letting her po. one policeman said: You'll have to expect this in the future." Annette asked why. It's your boyfriend's background." What background?" "He's Trish."
What happened to Martin and Anoette could happen to anyone. Indeed, they were 'anyone" -Оло co-operate, So what can he done to prevent similar accurrences:
WelL, at one stage during her treatment Annette told the police that she was going to inform her MP That too was met with a laugh - but on that occasion it was justified.
Annette's mother did try to get in touch with her local MP, one Michael O'Halloran of North Haington, but was told that he was hot araliable. When Martin's sacher phoned up be was given the sante answer, but with a promise that the Ml woad phone back. He never did. Marches Michael O'Halloran gained his North London scat through a whole series of dubious practices. One of these was his claint to represent' the local Irish community. Conments Nots Malloney: 'But he hasn't got the interests of the Irish community at heart ... he doesn't want to know.
So other directions will be sought by those looking to fight the PTA. And again Nora Malloney speaks well: 1 didn't believe in marches, but now if there is any marches called, if there is any action that is needed, I and my daughter will he there There are many things to remem ber about what bappened to Martin Lavery and Annette Mallanes, but if you can only remember one. remember that.
GEOFF BELL
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Scene from a new play on the Prevention of Terrorism Act, "The Other Way Round", performed by CAST at an eve- ning of theatre on Ireland organised by the Troaps Out Movement in London last week
Irishman who played in an illegal foll group, and a girl who woulda?