Man charged with attempting to murder police officer in Derry denied bail

A man accused of being involved in a plot to murder a PSNI officer in the Eglinton area of Derry has been refused bail.

Kieran Maguire, 33, of Kippure Park in Dublin, has been charged with possessing explosives with intent to endanger life and attempted murder on June 18, 2015.

Two other men have appeared before the courts in connection with the foiled murder bid.

One has been sentenced to 25 years in prison while the other will face trial in January 2022.

Appearing at Derry Magistrates Court today, a senior Public Prosecution Service (PPS) representative outlined details of the case.

He said around 2.45am on June 18, 2015, an emergency 999 call was made by a member of the PSNI notifying them of an ‘under vehicle booby-trap bomb’ at Eglinton.

Two vehicles, a VW Passat and Toyota Corolla were noticed travelling away from the scene.

The PPS said checkpoints were set up at both sides of the Foyle Bridge but the vehicles ‘fled’ through police lines.

An Garda Síochána stopped the Passat around 3.52am in Killygordon, Donegal, according to the PPS representative.

He said gloves were thrown from the car which were linked to explosives after forensic examination.

The public prosecutor told the court that the vehicles could be placed close to the scene where the bomb was planted.

He added that Maguire was convicted in the past for illegal membership of the IRA when he was found to have intimidated a man.

The PPS representative submitted that Maguire was sent to Northern Ireland in February and first appeared in court on April 21.

As an organisation, he added, the IRA has a history of helping people to evade the police.

The PPS argued that there is a clear risk of reoffending.

He also said that a poster of Maguire was placed outside the home of a witness in the case which ‘may have been a coincidence but is a fact’.

Bail addresses put forward were also unsuitable, the public prosecutor concluded, citing links to dissident republican group Saoradh at one property.

Defence barrister Seamus McIlroy said police only carried out basic computer checks on the addresses proffered and didn’t visit the properties.

Addressing the conviction for IRA membership, he added that an appeal is due to be heard in the next month or two in the Republic of Ireland.

He also noted that Maguire was convicted for the equivalent of riotous behaviour which related to a Love Ulster parade in 2006.

The charges currently before the court, he said, are ‘totally based’ on circumstantial evidence.

Defence counsel referred to evidence that cars were caught at the bomb location and argued that it was based on an expert who was brought in to make out cars using CCTV footage from the house.

“It is by no means a certainty, there’s some conjecture about what type of car it could have been,” he added.

Mr McIlroy said his client has not attempted to flee the jurisdiction and has abided by bail conditions.

A curfew and electronic tag could form part of any conditions if released, he added.

Deputy District Judge McStay said the defendant is before the court on ‘serious charges’ but is entitled to the presumption of innocence.

The judge said he was satisfied there is a clear prima facie case.

He accepted there is an issue of flight as the defendant could attempt to flee from serious charges and a risk of reoffending due to previous convictions and alleged involvement in the IRA.

Judge McStay ruled that Maguire was not a suitable candidate for bail.

The accused has a right to appeal the decision at the High Court.