Belfast man in court over menacing message to Bloody Sunday victim's family

A Belfast man has appeared in court accused of sending a menacing message directed at the family of a Bloody Sunday victim.

Dean Portis, 41, is facing prosecution over a social media posting seen by the brothers of William McKinney, one of the victims shot dead by the British Army in Derry.

Portis, of Olive Street in Belfast, has been charged with two counts of improper use of a public communications network to send a message of a menacing character.

He allegedly committed the offences on September 18 and October 22 last year during the high profile Soldier F trial.

The former member of the Parachute Regiment was accused but ultimately found not guilty of murdering 26-year-old William McKinney on Bloody Sunday.

Mr McKinney was among 13 people shot dead when troops opened fire on civil rights demonstrators in Derry’s Bogside on January 30, 1972.

Police were alerted to a Facebook posting allegedly attributed to Portis, who also uses the name Dean Martin, early on in Soldier F’s trial.

Above a newspaper report and photograph of Mr McKinney’s three brothers, Joe, Mickey and John, attending the hearing in Belfast a message stated: “If yous continued to target the British Armed Forces including the PSNI the consequences will be swift and deadly.”

READ NEXT: Derry man who crashed into police car while avoiding arrest denied bail

The posting added: “Yous have been warned.”

Appearing at Belfast Magistrates’ Court on Thursday, Portis confirmed he understood the charges against him.

An investigating police officer connected him to the alleged offences but provided no further details about the case.

District Judge Anne Marshall adjourned proceedings and released Portis on continuing bail until February 26.