Men caught with rifle refused bail

Two Armagh men caught with a sniper's rifle were refused bail in the High Court in Belfast yesterday.

Two Armagh men caught with a sniper's rifle were refused bail in the High Court in Belfast yesterday.

Mr Patrick Tierney (19), from Drumarg Park, and Mr Gavin McArdle (17), from Mullacreevie Park, were in a car transporting the gun when it was stopped by police in Armagh last week.

Two cars were travelling in convoy on the Camlough Road, and two other men in the lead car were refused bail on Wednesday.

Mr Tierney's lawyer told yesterday's court that his client had received a phone call from a person he trusted, who asked him to collect an item and ferry it from one place to another.

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"He foolishly agreed, but neither he nor McArdle knew anything about the gun which was concealed in two planks of wood."

A Crown lawyer said police believed the four defendants were part of an active terrorist unit.

Lord Justice Campbell said he could hardly think of a more serious offence which at the very least had an undertone of terrorism about it. If the defendants were convicted they would be jailed for a considerable period. This raised the risk of them absconding, and he refused bail.