Courts / Monaghan / Report

IRA accused made no response to certain material questions, trial hears

Summary

The Special Criminal Court trial of Jim Smyth, 44, of County Monaghan, has heard evidence regarding his alleged membership of the Irish Republican Army (IRA) on November 25, 2015. Mr Smyth, who pleaded not guilty to the charge of membership of an unlawful organization, is accused of being part of the IRA, also known as Oglaigh na hEireann. Prosecution counsel Shane Costello SC outlined that senior gardai convened a meeting at Monaghan garda station shortly before the arrest, briefing officers on confidential information regarding Mr Smyth's activities. The court heard that Detective Garda Alan O'Connor observed the accused exiting a vehicle near derelict houses at Knockatallon, where he was subsequently arrested by Detective Sergeant Gerry Doherty. Portions of Mr Smyth's Section 2 interviews were read into evidence, revealing that while he denied being an IRA quartermaster, he made no response to questions concerning specific items found after his arrest. He also declined to answer inquiries about whether a laneway accessed an IRA storage dump, if he used a shed in his capacity as a member, or if certain houses served as a forward operating base or rendezvous point for attacks in Northern Ireland. The trial is presided over by Ms Justice Isobel Kennedy, sitting with Judges Sinéad Ní Chúlacháin and James Faughnan, and resumes tomorrow.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: IRA accused made no response to certain material questions, trial hears. Charges or matters: membership of an unlawful organization, styling itself the Irish Republican Army, otherwise Oglaigh na hEireann, otherwise the IRA, on November 25th, 2015. Procedural stage: trial

When:

• November 25th, 2015 Incident
• November 27, 2015 Other
• 2017-05-18 Publication

Case subjects

Places mentioned

Topics

Stage Trial

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Read the original CNI report