Courts / Antrim / Report
Belfast man pleads guilty to having beer keg bomb
Summary
In a Special Criminal Court hearing, William Burns, 40, of Ardoyne, Belfast, pleaded guilty to unlawful possession of a keg bomb. The case involved a 50‑litre beer keg, 50 kg of homemade ammonium nitrate, PETN and RDX explosives, an improvised detonation cord, a steel booster tube, and a time‑and‑power unit. The alleged offence took place at Kilcurry Church, County Louth, on 25 May 2014. Prosecutor Paul Greene SC described how two men drove a white transit van to a carpark off the N1, then Burns drove a red Volkswagen Passat into the same carpark. The vehicles moved to Kilcurry Church, parked back‑to‑back, and the improvised explosive device was transferred from the van to the boot of Burns' car. Gardaí found a 50‑litre Guinness barrel, plastic tubing with white powder suspected to be explosive, and an electric timer set for a thirty‑minute delay. William Burns pleaded not guilty.
Who, what, where, when and why
What: Report matter: Belfast man pleads guilty to having beer keg bomb. Charges or matters: the unlawful possession of the explosive substances PETN (Pentaerythritol Tetranitrate) and RDX (cyclotrimethylenetrinitramine), an adapted 50 litre beer keg, 50 kg of ammonium nitrate homemade explosive, an improvised detonation cord, an improvised steel booster tube and an improvised time and power unit at Kilcurry Church, Co Louth on May 25th, 2014. Procedural stage: sentence
When:
- May 25th, 2014 Hearing Or Sentence
- July 29th Adjournment
- 2016-07-07 Publication
Case subjects
Defendant
Charges: the unlawful possession of the explosive substances PETN (Pentaerythritol Tetranitrate) and RDX (cyclotrimethylenetrinitramine), an adapted 50 litre beer keg, 50 kg of ammonium nitrate homemade explosive, an improvised detonation cord, an improvised steel booster tube and an improvised time and power unit at Kilcurry Church, Co Louth on May 25th, 2014 (Alleged Or Contested)
Plea: Not guilty
Outcome: Mr Justice Paul Butler, presiding with Judge Alison Lindsay and Judge Cormac Dunne, remanded Burns on continuing bail until July 29th, when he will be sentenced.; Mr Justice Paul Butler, presiding with Judge Alison Lindsay and Judge Cormac Dunne, remanded Burns on continuing bail until July 29th, when he will be sentenced.
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