County Tyrone: Man in court over viable devices found in Moy

BBC News

11-08-2025

A man has appeared in court charged in connection with the discovery of a number of viable devices at a house in Moy in County Tyrone.Barry McCann, 30, of Oakfield Gardens in Moy, is charged with possessing explosives under suspicious circumstances relating to a security alert in the town on 8 August 2025.He is further charged with several motoring offences on the same date.Appearing before Enniskillen Magistrates' Court on Monday, the accused spoke only to confirm he understood the charges against him.
A PSNI Constable also told the court that he could connect Mr McCann to the charges.
The police officer outlined to the court that on 8 August 2025, the accused was initially detained in connection with a road traffic collision in Moy where a driver had run off from the scene.He said there had been a crash involving two cars on Killyman Street in the town and that witnesses and CCTV footage spotted the accused running from the scene and going into an address in Oakfield Gardens.When police went to the address, the accused provided a fake name and his mother gave a statement to say that she did not give permission for her car, which was involved in the crash, to be taken.On the matter of the motoring offences, Mr McCann's solicitor told the court that "there was no issue" and that his client pleaded guilty to those charges.The police officer told the court that the accused was later arrested in connection to the explosives charge whilst in custody, as a family member had alerted officers to bomb making equipment that had been found at their house.The officer said a device that appeared to contain petrol and black powder along with matches were discovered.
'Complex issues at play'
Ammunition Technical Officers were tasked to the property in Oakfield Gardens and the device, which was deemed viable, was found and a controlled explosion was carried out.The officer said further searches were conducted at the property and eight more viable devices were uncovered in a built in wardrobe in Mr McCann's bedroom.Other items were seized during the operation including several sim cards which will be subject to investigation.During the security alert, properties in Oakfield Gardens were evacuated for a number of hours overnight.The court heard that Mr McCann had moved back into the property in March of this year and had been spending a lot of time in his bedroom and a shed on the property.The police officer said they were satisfied that the devices had not been in the house before March.A solicitor for the accused told the court that he suffers from borderline personality disorder and has a significant psychiatric history; previously suffering from depression and disassociation.The PSNI officer also said that when Mr McCann was taken to hospital after the collision on 8 August 2025, as airbags had been deployed in the vehicle, he told an officer that he had ideations to harm other people.He said witnesses to the crash said the car the accused was travelling in was driving on the wrong side of the road towards a lorry, before veering off and hitting another car that was left with minor damages.The judge at Enniskillen court said there are "clearly complex issues at play" and ordered a mental health assessment to be carried out.No application for bail was made and the case has been listed again for 3 September 2025.