Irish News February 7, 2005  Bar killing witness was 'just left to die' by Graeme Neill The first eyewitness to speak about the stabbing which killed  father of two Robert McCartney has described how he and his friend were  "left for dead". Brendan Devine (31) had his throat cut in a Belfast city centre bar  in the early hours of last Monday, He was then stabbed in the stomach  in the street. Mr Devine, from the Antrim Road area of north Belfast, had been  drinking in the bar in May Street with Mr McCartney when they were  attacked. When they left the bar after the attack on Mr Devine, his friend  was fatally stabbed. Last night (Sunday), speaking from his hospital bed, Mr Devine paid  tribute to his friend of fifteen years. He said: "You couldn't ask for a better friend." Mr Devine said a "heated argument" had started in the bar after the  group he was with were accused of insulting a patron. There have been  allegations of a republican link to the murder. "I walked round the bar and I felt the presence of five fellas  around me and was hit over the head with a bottle," he said. "I remember a hand coming over my face and my throat was slashed a  couple of times." Desperate to get Mr Devine to hospital, his friends took him  outside. "The blood was really bad – it was pumping out." He remembered staggering about in the street before turning round  and seeing Mr McCartney confronted by five men. "I saw Bert holding his hands up going 'Nobody deserved this. We  didn't do anything'," he said. The two friends were then attacked. Both were stabbed in the  stomach. "We were just left to die. And we didn't deserve it," said Mr  Devine. His mother, Ann, said her son "had not lifted his hands to anyone". Mr McCartney (33) from the Short Strand area of east Belfast, died  from his injuries in hospital shortly afterwards. Seven men, including a senior republican, have been arrested in  connection with Mr McCartney's murder. All have been released without  charge. Police last night revisited the scene. Riots started last Monday night when police investigating the  killling carried out searches in the nearby Markets area. Officers were injured when they were attacked with bricks, bottles  and stones. There were further disturbances on Tuesday. It has been reported that unknown men removed the security video  tapes from the bar before the police could examine them. A vigil held in Mr McCartney's memory in the Short Strand on Friday  night was attended by around 600 people.