An alleged rioter who came home to visit his mother for Christmas was arrested as he boarded a ferry back to Scotland, a court heard on Saturday.
Appearing in the dock of Belfast Magistrates Court, 25-year-old William Beck was charged with rioting on September 2 last year.
Constable McCartney told the court he believed he could him to the charge and it was during an opposed bail application that solicitor Denis Maloney revealed how Beck, from California Close in Belfast, was arrested at the Stena Ferry terminal on Friday.
He claimed that immediately after the riot, Beck had been forced to leave Northern Ireland and had been in Scotland but had come home to see his family over the Christmas period where he was returning to when he was arrested.
Mr Maloney said that during police interviews Beck had identified himself as part of a crowd attacking police during serious rioting on Donegal Street in the aftermath of a Black Preceptory march past St. Michael’s Church.
However District Judge George Conner said he was concerned Beck would flee and so remanded him into custody to appear again via videolink next Thursday.
