Bail for 3 on jet damage charges

Three of the five anti-war activists charged with the criminal damage of a US navy aircraft last Monday at Shannon Airport were yesterday ordered not to go within one mile of the US embassy in Dublin by a District Court judge.

At Ennis District Court, Judge Con O'Leary remanded three of the five - Mr Damien Moran (22), Ms Nuin Dunlop (31) and Ms Deirdre Clancy (32) - in custody with consent to bail on condition that they do not go within one mile of the US embassy and stay out of Co Clare.

Ms Dunlop pointed out to the judge that, since she was a US citizen, the bail condition was interfering with her human right to go to her own embassy. Judge O'Leary said: "No it doesn't. But I will grant you leave to appeal the condition."

The other two charged with the criminal damage to the aircraft, Mr Kieran O'Reilly (42) and Ms Karen Fallon (30), failed to secure bail and were remanded in custody for a further two weeks to Limerick Prison after Insp Tom Kennedy expressed concern that they would carry out similar acts of criminal damage at Shannon Airport.

Two of the five charged, Mr O'Reilly and Mr Moran, claimed in court yesterday that they were led by the Holy Spirit. A seminarian with the Holy Ghost Fathers at Kimmage Manor, Dublin, Mr Moran said: "What we did was a peaceful and non-violent action where we were led by the Holy Spirit in an act of disarmament."

Mr O'Reilly told the court that he had "carried out a significant and prophetic act of witness". He said: "We did not run away, we stayed and prayed, and we will explain our actions and be acquitted on the charge. We are going to stick with this. We are very confident that the charge against us is unconstitutional and we have a strong defence in that we had a legal excuse to carry out the act of disarmament and that the basing of the aircraft at Shannon is contrary to international law."

Ms Clancy, Castle Avenue, Clontarf, Dublin, said that the five had been mandated by the Bible, international law and the Irish Constitution to carry out the act. "We stand by this act of disarmament. We have made our contribution and will continue our witness by seeing this court case through."