A MAN alleged by gardai to have been caught red handed at a bomb making factory in Co Laois three months ago has been refused bail in the High Court.
Det Supt Basil Walsh of the Special Detective Unit in Harcourt Street, Dublin, told Mr Justice McCracken he believed Mr Gabriel Cleary (52), of Friars town, Tallaght, would not turn up for his trial if granted bail.
He told counsel for the Director of Public Prosecutions, Mr Des Dockery, that Mr Cleary faced two charges relating to explosives finds at Ballyfarrell, Clonaslee, Co Laois, on June 20th.
He said he accompanied detectives with a search warrant to the home of Mr Thomas Conroy at Ballyfarrell. They had to break down the door of an outhouse and found three people inside, including Mr Cleary.
One man was armed with an automatic pistol with six bullets in the magazine and one in the breech. Gardai found mortar bombs, Semtex explosive and a large quantity of bomb making equipment in the outhouse.
Det Supt Walsh said that in a bunker under Mr Conroy's house detectives found Semtex and commercial explosives and a large quantity of mortar tubes, propulsion units and tail fins as well as machine guns, a pistol and ammunition. Mr Cleary had been staying in the house but did not live there.
"There are other bomb factories throughout the State and there are continuing searches and investigations being carried out. I believe if Mr Cleary is given, bail he will interfere with those inquiries," the superintendent said.
He said Mr Cleary had been arrested aboard the Eksund in 1987 in French territorial waters and although charged in France had been acquitted. He had been charged and acquitted of membership of the IRA in 1976 but had absconded on bail in relation to that charge and had been at large for about 15 months until arrested in a pub in Harold's Cross.
Det Supt Walsh said he based his belief that Mr Cleary would again abscond on the seriousness of the current charges, the likely lengthy sentence if convicted, the nature of the evidence against him and "the fact that he was caught red handed".
Mr Justice McCracken agreed with Mr Eamonn Leahy, counsel for Mr Cleary, that Garda views on the existence and investigations into other arms bunkers about which Mr Cleary was not charged could not be held against his client.
He said he would require very convincing grounds to differ with the Special Criminal Court, which had refused bail, and he had the sworn evidence of a Garda superintendent relating to his belief that Mr Cleary would abscond.