Coalisland men arrested with firearms and knives

TWO Coalisland men who were arrested while in possession of firearms and knives on Thursday (August 4) night, were refused bail when they appeared before a special sitting of Dungannon Magistrates Court on Saturday.

James Murray (37) of Gortin Crescent claimed he found an airsoft BB gun in a blue bag and put it in his waist band and was given a knife earlier in the day to sharpen and forgot he had it was in his pocket. A suspected gun cartridge was also found in his pocket.

Eamonn McElkenny (31) of Derrylaughan Road said he had a .38 starting pistol he used for his dogs that day and had a knife in his possession as he had been fishing.

The court was told Murray has 50 previous convictions that include an explosive offence, possession of firearms, criminal damage and having an offensive weapon in a public place.

McElkenny has 65 convictions on his record which include possession of an offensive weapon and criminal damage, however the bulk of them are motoring offences.

Both were charged with carrying a firearm, possessing of ammunition, possessing of a blade and possession of a firearm or imitation firearm with intent to cause fear of violence and threats to damage property.

The court was told they ran away when challenged by police officers in the Washingbay Road area of the town.

They claimed they were at the house of a man who had stolen Murray’s phone when they were drinking with him earlier. They denied making any threats and said the man was not at home.

Police were alerted to the defendants by a woman who said they arrived and threatened to burn and shoot up the house.

Barrister Conor O’Kane representing McElkenny said the man they alleged stole the mobile phone is “well known in the area with an extensive criminal record that includes a record for dishonesty”.

He also said the knife he was carrying was “not an offensive weapon per se” and he may have legal defences to fight the charges. McElkenny claimed he panicked and ran from police as he knew he had the weapons.

James Lannon representing Murray said his client worked in Dublin during the week and returned to the Coalisland area at weekends to see his family.

Acknowledging Murray’s record “does him no favours” he suggested a Dublin bail address. Mr Lannon also said Murray had given a full account and explanation as to why he had the items on his person.

Refusing bail, District judge Steven Keown said, “These are very serious charges. The facts speak for themselves. The accounts given also speak for themselves and it remains to be seen whether they will stand up to scrutiny. There are very real concerns regarding the risk of offending and serious threats with weapons. Bail is refused due to the risk of interference with witnesses and the threat of further offending”.