January 30 1974
The Secretary of State, Mr Francis Pym, said in a UTV Reports interview last night that those convicted at Winchester following the London car bombs trial would not be transferred to Northern Ireland to serve their sentences.
The eight prisoners include the Price sisters – Dolours and Marion – from Andersonstown, Belfast, who are being force-fed at Brixton. Like the others, they are claiming political status and repatriation to the North.
On internment, Mr Pym repeated that releases from the Maze Prison at Long Kesh would continue to be considered in the context of the general security situation.
As the force-feeding controversy continues, it was revealed yesterday that Lord Longford has visited Belfast men Gerald Kelly and Hugh Feeney, who are on hunger strike. He said afterwards: “There is no immediate anxiety for their physical health”.
It is the first visit either has had since they were sentenced to life imprisonment at Winchester last November.
Lord Longford, who has taken up the cases of long-term prisoners in the past, including Myra Hindley, was given permission to make the visits by the Home Office. He saw Kelly in Wormwood Scrubs on January 18 and Feeney in Gartree prison Leicestershire, last Friday.
Despite mounting pressure, due to their ongoing hunger strikes, to move the Price sisters from Britain to serve their prison sentences in Northern Ireland, Francis Pym refused to budge. There were eventually transferred in 1975.
Sweet Revenge as Ali Hints at Re-Match
Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier will collect about three million dollars (about £1,250,000) apiece – the biggest purse in the history of boxing – for their blistering 12-round rematch clash in Madison Square Garden.
This was announced yesterday at a post-fight New York news conference when Ali, tasting the sweetness of victory and revenge, and the defeated Frazier sat side by side, shook hands and talked about their battle and their futures.
Bob Arum, president of the closed-circuit TV group which handled the contest, said: “This is the biggest payday for fighters in the history of the world.”
Both Ali and Frazier would collect about $2,600,000 (about £1,025,000) from the closed-circuit worldwide broadcast and from the capacity crowd of 20,748 who watched the fight in the Garden, he reported.
The fighters got $2,500,000 each from their first fight on March 8 1971, but a great part of that went to New York State in taxes. The tax bite will be far less this time.
Arum said both men would, in addition, receive $400,000 each from the 30-minute film of the fight which was being rushed into cinemas in Manhattan last night and would have a worldwide distribution.