THREE men related to leading republican Colin Duffy have been remanded in custody after they were charged with a series of dissident republican terrorist offences including one who was allegedly directing a “dissident republican grouping”.
Appearing in the dock at Lisburn Magistrates Court on Saturday flanked by uniformed riot police, Lurgan men 47-year-old Paul John Duffy, his brother Damien Duffy, 42, and their cousin Shane Duffy, 41, were all charged with four offences relating to preparing acts of terrorism, conspiring to murder and conspiring with each other to cause an explosion.
However Paul Duffy, from Ailsbury Gardens, faces a further charge that on dates between November 29, 2009 and May 14 this year, he directed the activities of a terrorist grouping, namely a dissident republican grouping.
Paul Duffy, along with Damien Duffy, from Campbell Walk, and Shane Duffy, from the Kilwilkie Road, were all charged with collecting information and logistical information “with the intention of committing acts of terrorism” and with collecting information likely to be of use to terrorists.
All four also face a charge that on dates between June 7 last year and May 14 this year they conspired to murder persons unknown and also that they conspired with each other to cause an explosion likely to endanger life or cause serious injury to property.
A PSNI Detective Sergeant told the court he believed he could connect the three men to each of the charges and although solicitor Joe McVeigh did not lodge any bail applications, he cross-examined the officer as regards the nature of the searches conducted at two of the defendants’ houses and a police press release.
On Friday a police spokesperson released a statement that the men had been charged following a PSNI-led investigation having worked closely “with colleagues in the security services”.
Mr McVeigh repeatedly asked the officer which branch of the secret services had been involved and what their role had been, but the officer, who said he was involved in the investigation, told the solicitor he did not know the answer to either question.
Turning to the nature of the house searches officers conducted at the homes of Paul Duffy and Shane Duffy, the officer agreed with the solicitor’s suggestion that following on from the treatment children received at the hands of the Germans in WWII, the European Human Rights Convention set in stone certain rights for children.
He revealed that during the searches, conducted at 5am, officers video-recorded the defendants’ children and even asked them questions on camera, behaviour described by Mr McVeigh as “degrading”.
As members of the Duffy family sat in the packed public gallery, Mr McVeigh asked the officer if he would give an “undertaking in a verifiable way” that the footage would be deleted and the officer agreed if it could be done, “it will be done”.
The solicitor told District Judge Amanda Henderson the Duffy family believe that “their family are subject to persecution by the police”.
“They feel that they’re being persecuted and one would not have to stray very far from recent events to find a reason why that persecution would be happening,” said the lawyer.
Two months ago Colin Duffy was acquitted of murdering two soldiers who were gunned down in a hail of bullets outside their barracks at Massereene in Antrim in 2009, just a day before they were due to go to Afghanistan.
Leading republican Duffy, also from Lurgan, was also acquitted of attempting to murder the soldiers and a pizza delivery man.
And on Saturday, as his three relatives were led from the court, he shouted out “all right lads” and the rest of the crowd began clapping and cheering, waiting outside the court to cheer the police cars as they left with the defendants inside.
Meanwhile, four people have appeared in court on charges linked to an alleged terrorist training camp in Co Tyrone.
Sharon Rafferty, 37, from Cavana Linn in Pomeroy, Sean Kelly from Duneane Crescent in Toomebridge, Terence Aidan Coney, 33, of Malabhui Road in Omagh and Gavin Coney, 37, from Gorticashel Road, also in Omagh, were all remanded in custody at Omagh Magistrates Court.
A hearing on Saturday was told that there was evidence to link them to a firing range at Formil Wood, near Omagh. Approximately 200 rounds were said to have been heard being fired at the Formil Wood site on Gorticashel Road on March 30, 2012.
A PSNI detective said conversations between Kelly and Rafferty had been recorded.