Wife of CIRA statement reader tells court gardai acknowledged husband was not in IRA

A man charged with membership of an unlawful organisation has denied the allegation at the Special Criminal Court in Dublin. Michael Kiely, aged 43, of Abbeyvale, Corbally in Limerick, has pleaded not guilty to membership of the IRA following an incident in January 2013. Evidence was heard that Kiely read a Continuity IRA statement at a graveside commemoration in Limerick containing threats against members of the British Army. His wife testified that during a garda interview, she was told gardai acknowledged her husband was not a member of the IRA. The defence counsel contended Kiely had been manipulated by others into reading the statement without prior knowledge of its contents. Kiely maintained he has never been an IRA member and was a member of Republican Sinn Féin with interest in history and politics. The prosecution presented expert evidence and the recording of the statement being read. The three-judge court, presided over by Mr Justice Paul Butler, adjourned judgment to 20 December.