The trial of three Northern Ireland men accused of Real IRA membership was aborted at the Special Criminal Court today after the prosecution conceded a defence application for a mistrial.
The defence application came yesterday on the 18th day of the trial of the three men who were arrested in Co Monaghan in November 2002 and it followed evidence from a Garda Chief Superintendent when it emerged that original documents in the trial had been "mislaid."
The three-judge court had been due to give a ruling on the defence application but when the trial resumed today prosecuting counsel Mr George Birmingham SC said: "I am conceding the application that has been made by counsel."
The three accused were remanded on continuing bail until March 25th when the case will be mentioned again and they left the court.
They had pleaded not guilty to membership of an illegal organisation styling itself the Irish Republican Army, otherwise Oglaigh na hÉireann, otherwise the IRA on November 8th, 2002. They were arrested during a Garda investigation into Real IRA activities in Co Monaghan.
They are Cathal Loughran (27), of Friary Road, Clady, Co Armagh, Dominic Dynes (32), of St Matthew's Estate, Keady, Co Armagh and Aidan Grew (47), of Benburb St, Blackwatertown, Co Armagh. A fourth man arrested with the three accused, Garreth O' Connor(24), of Bawnbrook Hill, Armagh is the subject of a murder investigation and went missing last year while on bail.