Billy George was arrested by police after he confronted the mother of a man Spanish cops want to speak to about his son’s murder.
Billy George was caught on CCTV at the Co Antrim home of Dawn Smyth, the mum of Jonny Smyth – the Belfast gym owner who has vanished in the aftermath of the murder of John George on the Costa del Sol.
He then went to her place of work in Carrickfergus and there was a further confrontation with staff there.
He was arrested and he accepted a Community Resolution Notice for assault, requiring him to sign a document which includes the words “I admit I am guilty of this offence”.
He – like the rest of the George family – are desperately seeking answers and justice, and believe Jonny Smyth may have information relating to John’s death and should hand himself into the police.
Jonny Smyth, the Belfast gym owner who has vanished in the aftermath of the murder of John George in the Costa del Sol.
Billy George remonstrated with Dawn Smyth for several minutes at her luxury home before being told to leave.
There was further confrontation when the 55-year-old went straight to her workplace.
Waiting for him there was his son – John’s brother Darren – who was not arrested by police.
It has been claimed there was a heated exchange of words between Billy George and staff at that premises.
Police were called and complaints made about both incidents.
Read more
Last night the PSNI confirmed they had arrested a 55-year-old man on suspicion of assault, harassment and disorderly behaviour.
They told the Sunday World: “A 55-year-old man was arrested in the Larne Road area of Carrickfergus on Thursday, February 27 on suspicion of common assault, harassment and disorderly behaviour.
“He has since been issued with a Community Resolution Notice for common assault.”
The Sunday World contacted Dawn Smyth to ask her about the incidents but she didn’t respond.
Last night Billy George confirmed he had gone to the home of Mrs Smyth and to her workplace but claimed he was within his rights to do so given the circumstances of his son’s murder.
Billy George at Dawn Smyth’s home
He also made a number of allegations which can’t be printed for legal reasons.
“Yes I did go to Dawn Smyth’s house… yes I did go to her business… I was arrested and I did get a caution.”
Murder victim John George (37) disappeared in December in the Alicante area. His remains were found in January following extensive appeals from the family and friends who travelled out to search for his body.
The father-of-two was shot and his body was left in a rural area in the Alicante region around December 14.
Jonny Smyth is wanted by Spanish police investigating the murder of John George, who was also known as John Hardy.
John George’s body was repatriated to Northern Ireland on January 16 and his funeral took place on February 1.
Homecoming for family of Belfast man John George found dead in Spain
But his family remain determined to fight for justice and they are desperate for 26-year-old Jonny Smyth to hand himself in to the authorities in Spain and to tell them what he knows.
After John disappeared in Spain, the George family campaigned for information about what happened to him.
A social media war of words between those campaigning for the George family and the Smyth family erupted almost as soon as it emerged John was missing.
That war of words has turned increasingly bitter with claim and counter-claim being made by supporters of both sides. Last week it turned particularly violent when two arson attacks were carried out – one at the Ballyclare home of Dawn Smyth and another at the home of an elderly relative of Jonny Smyth’s 19-year-old partner Madison Allen.
The arson attack at Dawn Smyth’s residence, which saw a silver transit van burnt out, took place a day after Billy George visited her.
However, there’s no suggestion Billy George or any of the George family had any involvement or knowledge of that attack.
Dawn Smyth has stated on social media she doesn’t know where her son is but that she has spoken to his solicitor – but this has been questioned by some who follow her on TikTok.
When asked about why she flew out to Spain after John was murdered, she said this week: “I flew out on flights booked on November 5. I have nothing to hide I can assure you. See if I knew where he was do you honestly think I would not stop all this? Seriously catch yourself on.”
And she posted previously, after coming under attack about her parenting: “Listen, he is a grown man. Anyone who knows me knows my kids were well taken care of. I worked hard to provide for them. I didn’t sit on a platform claiming DLA so f**k off I’m not in the mood”.
Dawn Smyth, the mum of Jonny Smyth, the Belfast gym owner who has vanished in the aftermath of the murder of John George in the Costa del Sol.
She has been the target of abuse on social media but it’s not the first time someone has called to her private home.
After John vanished, Dawn’s home was visited by domestic abuser James Burns, who is facing a charge of possessing cocaine and an offensive weapon after he brought a hammer to hospital and told cops it was in case he was “attacked by Muslims”.
Burns filmed himself at Dawn Smyth’s house, posting the video on TikTok back in December and he can be heard demanding for John’s body to be returned to the family.
Burns has been a prominent campaigner for the George family and he was behind a protest at Jonny Smyth’s north Belfast gym in December.
Burns has been in and out of prison for serious offending including rioting and a series of domestic abuse convictions.
He has told courts before how he served with the commandos in Afghanistan and was “significantly traumatised by the events he witnessed there”.
In 2015, Burns was jailed for St Patrick’s Day attacks on police and smashing his mother’s car.
He head-butted one of five officers it took to restrain him after they were called to his family home in Newtownabbey.
And in 2012, Burns damaged nine vans and a lorry at a dealership after rowing with his girlfriend.
Two years ago Burns was convicted of breaching a restraining order taken out by his ex-partner after he called her on the phone.
When asked yesterday about James Burns being at the forefront of protests including going to Dawn Smyth’s house, Billy George told the Sunday World he didn’t know who James Burns was.
“I don’t know James Burns – I was in Spain when those protests took place,” he said.
John George
Nobody has so far been charged with the murder of John George but one man – a 32-year-old from the Czech Republic – was bailed by a judge on January 10 and told he was being investigated as an alleged accomplice over the murder.
An international arrest warrant has been issued by Spanish authorities for the unnamed man suspected of murdering John George.
And Spanish authorities are understood to now have three separate arrest warrants out for the individual suspected of carrying out the killing.
Jonny Smyth and Madison Allen were among the last people to see John George alive when he went to visit them in the Alicante last December.
Allen publicly denied any involvement in the disappearance of John via videos posted on social media, with Mr Smyth previously telling the George family he did not know where his pal had gone.
It has been revealed the pair have repeatedly starred in X-rated paid-for online content, some of which was filmed in their Spanish home in Cabo Roig, near Alicante.