Courts / Dublin / Report

IRA accused arrested after Alan Ryan Funeral fails to show up for trial

Date
2014-02-04

Stage
Trial

Primary locality
Dublin

County
Dublin

Summary

In a Dublin court, the trial of Nathan Kinsella, aged 33, for alleged membership of the Irish Republican Army (IRA) was halted because he did not appear. Kinsella was scheduled to stand trial on 13 September 2012 for unlawful organisation membership. A bench warrant had been issued by the Special Criminal Court after Kinsella failed to attend a hearing, and a similar warrant had been issued by the Circuit Criminal Court in November after he again failed to appear. Counsel for Kinsella, Mr Diarmaid McGuinness SC, stated that he had not received any communication from Kinsella or his solicitor for several months and was unaware of the accused's whereabouts. The prosecution's counsel, Mr Tom O'Connell SC, reported that Kinsella had not been harmed and that Gardaí had made efforts to locate him without success. The presiding judge, Mr Justice Paul Butler, noted the existence of warrants from both courts.