IRA membership trial collapses
THE TRIAL of two Louth men on firearms and IRA membership charges at the Special Criminal Court has collapsed.
Presiding judge Mr Justice Paul Butler said that in the interests of justice the court would recuse itself from trying Des Ryan (54) and Neil Smith (34), after finding that a ruling given on Thursday was unclear and could be perceived as if the court had made predeterminations on the evidence against the accused men.
The men, both with addresses at Tubberfinn, Donore, Drogheda, had pleaded not guilty to membership of an unlawful organisation within the State, namely the Irish Republican Army, otherwise Óglaigh na héireann, otherwise the IRA on August 8th, 2010.
Mr Ryan, a champion power-lifter, also pleaded not guilty to the unlawful possession of a sawn-off, 12-gauge shotgun and two 12-gauge Eley shotgun cartridges at Ecco Road, Dundalk, on the same date.
Both men were remanded on continuing bail to appear before the court for mention on February 8th.
In his interviews with gardaí, Mr Ryan said he was not a member of, or sympathiser with, any illegal organisation. He told gardaí he was returning home from giving a building estimate to a man in Dundalk when 'all hell broke loose' and he was arrested by detectives.
The court had heard evidence from gardaí who followed the movements of five men travelling in two cars on the morning of August 8th, 2010, and heard one of the cars had been stolen from an address in the North three days previously.
