9 men appear in court on charges arising from alleged illegal republican parade in Lurgan

by Q Radio News

Three men appeared in court today on charges arising from an alleged illegal republican parade.

Declan McCrory (47), Sean Pearson (34) and 44-year-old Damien Harte refused to stand in the dock of Craigavon Magistrates Court, choosing instead to sit side by side.

With a heavy police presence at the Court, the trio also refused to confirm whether they understood the charges against them but their solicitors did.

McCrory, from the Aghaboy Road in Omagh and Pearson are accused of taking part in an un-notified parade and wearing military style clothing “giving rise to a suspicion that he was a member or supporter of a proscribed organisation” on 31 March this year.

Pearson, from Culmore Park also in Omagh and Harte, of no fixed address, gave further charges of assaulting and resisting police on the same date.
 

The charges arise following disturbances at a parade in the Kilwilkie Estate in Lurgan and giving evidence to the Court, a police officer said he believed he could connect the three men to the charges.

All three were freed on continuing bail and were ordered to appear in Court again on the 8th of June.


Six other men, accused of being the “colour party” at the parade, appeared in the same Dock a short time later.

The six are: Eamon Green, 30, from the Falls Road in Belfast; Christopher Hamill, 28, from Lurgan Tarry in Lurgan, Martin Conlon, 48, from Tarry Drive in Lurgan; Emmet Donnan, 30, from Colin Mill in Dunmurry in Belfast; Matthew O'Donnell, 39, from Lislane Drive in Londonderry; Gary Doherty, 36, from Old Mountfield Road in Omagh, Co Tyrone.


They are also accused of taking part in an unnotified public procession and having clothing or articles as a member or a supporter of an outlawed organisation.

When they first appeared in Lisburn Court earlier this month, an officer told the court, "All six defendants were arrested at a dissident parade that took place at Levin Road, Lurgan."

He claimed they were all members of the "colour party" associated with the parade and were arrested while speeches were ongoing. He added warnings were given that the parade was illegal and unlawful.

"All six were arrested by police wearing berets, scarves, sun glasses, belts."

The office also said that flags had been used in the parade including the Starry Plough and the Irish national flag. 


In court today a police officer made a tentative application for bail conditions to be varied in relation to a planned protest at Lurgan police station this weekend but District Judge Bernie Kelly said she had no authority. 

She warned however that if any of the accused were at the protest, “it only takes someone else to degenerate the situation which is something else entirely.”

“If they breach their bail or are charged, they won’t get bail a second time,” said the judge. 

The six men are also due back in court on 8 June.