Man appeals IRA conviction after threat to shoot accident victim

A man from Dublin has appealed his conviction for membership of an unlawful organisation after a trial in the Special Criminal Court in 2018. Ciaran Maguire, aged 32, and co-accused Kevin Braney were found guilty of IRA membership following an incident in Co Meath on 13 July 2017, when the two men allegedly threatened a construction worker and demanded he withdraw a workplace injury claim against his former employer. The victim had suffered fractures to his arm, wrist and pelvis in a roof accident. Maguire was sentenced to four years and eleven months imprisonment. His counsel raised grounds of appeal this week, including claims regarding the lawfulness of his arrest, the admissibility of surveillance evidence, and alleged unfair trial procedures. The Director of Public Prosecutions' office contested these submissions. The Court of Appeal, presided over by Mr Justice John Edwards, reserved its decision.