Three men have appeared in court in Dungannon charged in connection with a model of a mosque being placed on a loyalist bonfire in Co Tyrone in July.
Tyler Somerville (28), of Jacksonville Road in Moygashel, Simon Dilworth (58) of a different address on Jacksonville Road and John Black (38) of Prince Andrew Crescent in Moygashel all faced one charge in terms of offensive material.
The charge is that on July 8th last they displayed written material which was threatening, abusive or insulting, intending to stir up hatred or arouse fear.
It came after a model of a mosque was on a bonfire in Moygashel in July as loyalist bonfires were being built across Northern Ireland to mark the anniversary of the Battle of the Boyne.
The trio appeared side by side in the dock at Dungannon magistrates’ court during a brief mention of the case on Wednesday morning.
All indicated they understood the charge.
A detective constable told the court he believed he could connect the accused to the charge.
No issues were raised during the first appearance of the three men in connection with the charges.
While all three had previously been out on police bail, they left under £250 court bail.
A fourth co-accused is set to appear on September 23rd, with all four to “travel together” going forward.
Somerville has been permitted to travel on a one-week holiday which had been booked before his arrest for the alleged offence. – PA
