THE Special Criminal Court yesterday refused bail to a Co Limerick man facing IRA membership and ammunition possession charges. There was tight security for the half hour hearing of Mrs John Quinn's bail application before the three judge court.
When Mr Quinn (28), of Faha, Patrickswell, last appeared before the court on June 12th charged with membership of the IRA on June 9th and with unlawful possession of ammunition at Patrickswell on June 6th, he had to be helped to his seat by gardai. Yesterday he appeared to be having difficulty climbing the steps to the dock.
Ms Mary Ellen Ring, for Mr Quinn, said two bailspersons were willing to offer sureties oft £10,000 each. She said Mr Quinn was a single man who lived in Patrickswell, had no previous convictions, no history of failure to appear in court and no passport.
The State Solicitor, Mr Brendan Counihan, said the State was opposing bail on a number of grounds but if bail was granted the State had no objection to the proposed bailspersons.
Supt Albert Treacy, of Askeaton Garda station, said he had confidential information that Mr Quinn would interfere with witnesses if granted bail. The gardai also opposed bail because they believed Mr Quinn would not stand trial.
Supt Treacy said a Garda investigation was ongoing and there was "substantial" evidence against the defendant. He was satisfied the evidence suggested Mr Quinn would be convicted.
He told Ms Ring there was "a likelihood" that more serious charges would be preferred against her client. He could not say when the book of evidence would be complete and agreed it could be some time before a trial date was set.
Supt Treacy agreed the evidence regarding both charges would come mainly from Garda witnesses and accepted the defendant was not likely to interfere with Garda witnesses. He said his concern about witnesses related to an ongoing Garda investigation.
Supt Treacy told Mr Justice Barr, presiding, that the investigation into the charges against Mr Quinn was part of a wider investigation into the shooting dead of Det Garda Jerry McCabe in Adare, Co Limerick, on June 7th.
Delivering judgment, Mr Justice Barr said the court had carefully considered Supt Treacy's evidence and the submissions made by the defence and took into account that the defendant had no previous convictions and no history of failure to appear in court.
The court was satisfied it should refuse bail on the grounds outlined by Supt Treacy, in particular his view that Mr Quinn would not stand trial if granted bail.
The court took into account that on a number of other occasions when persons facing charges before it were granted bail, they had failed to turn up for trial, the judge said.