A Ballymoney man was remanded in custody yesterday charged with murdering the three young brothers who died in a petrol-bomb attack on their home 10 days ago. Thomas Robert Garfield Gilmour (23), a salesman, of Finvoy Road, Ballymoney, was charged with causing the deaths of Jason, Mark and Richard Quinn in Ballymoney.
There was a heavy security presence at Belfast Magistrates' Court, which heard that Mr Gilmour denied the charges.
Under cross-examination, an RUC chief inspector confirmed that Mr Gilmour had no criminal record and that he denied being a member of any illegal organisation.
Mr Gilmour's solicitor asked the officer to confirm that the persons actively or physically involved in firebombing the Quinns' home on the Carnany Estate had not yet been brought before the court.
The chief inspector replied: "At this stage it would be wrong for me to make any comment about that."
Mr Gilmour, who was flanked by five police officers, remained silent throughout the five-minute court hearing.
The court heard that he had been charged with the three counts of murder at Strandtown RUC base in east Belfast shortly after 8 p.m. on Monday. The accused man had replied "Definitely not guilty" to all three charges, but the inspector said he was satisfied that he could connect Mr Gilmour to the charges.
Mr Gilmour was remanded in custody to appear at the Maze on August 12th.