Latest news with #BelfastMagistratesCourt
Sunday World
26-05-2025
- Sunday World
Top trampoline coach facing charges over indecent images of kids found dead
The 41-year-old, originally from Co. Mayo but who had been living in Belfast, was found dead in Budapest An award winning trampoline coach due to appear in court to face charges relating to indecent images of children has been found dead in the Hungarian capital. Co Mayo man Simon Flannery (41) was due to appear in the dock of Belfast Magistrates Court but defence solicitor Adrian Harvey told the court 'it's a very tragic situation.' 'As far as we are aware Mr Flannery took his own life last Friday in Budapest,' he told District Judge Steven Keown, adding that 'we are seeking confirmation of that.' On an indictment dated between 25 March 2020 and 29 November 2023, Flannery, who was awarded the coach of the year accolade in 2019, was charged with having, possessing and distributing indecent images of children. Having been on police bail since his arrest in November 2023, the former barber turned top trampoline coach was formally charged four weeks ago and was due to have his first appearance last week. It emerged last weekend however the 41-year-old, originally from Co. Mayo but who had been living on the Upper Lisburn Road in Belfast, had been found dead in Budapest. Simon Flannery News in 90 Seconds - May 26th 2025 Until his arrest Flannery had been the head of the trampoline program at Ulster's largest trampoline club and had been involved in training some of Ireland's best trampoline gymnasts who have competed all over the world. Giving evidence to the court last week, Detective Constable Shannon said the PSNI had been contacted by authorities in Budapest 'to make us aware and to contact the next of kin' but that since then, the police have 'requested official confirmation of the death.' Simon Flannery Judge Keown said that 'to keep ourselves right,' he believed the officer should give evidence that she believes she can connect Flannery to the charges and accordingly, that was done. Suggesting that the case be adjourned for a month, Mr Harvey said he would liaise with Flannery's family and the Garda. Judge Keown agreed and scheduled the case for an update on 20 June.
Daily Mirror
26-05-2025
- Daily Mirror
Top trampoline coach charged over twisted child abuse images 'found dead'
Simon Flannery, 41, was due to appear in the dock of Belfast Magistrates Court on Friday but his defence solicitor told the court his client "took his own life last Friday in Budapest" An award winning trampoline coach due to appear in court last Friday to face charges relating to indecent images of children has been found dead in Budapest. Simon Flannery, 41, was due to appear in the dock of Belfast Magistrates Court but defence solicitor Adrian Harvey told the court 'it's a very tragic situation.' 'As far as we are aware Mr Flannery took his own life last Friday in Budapest,' he told District Judge Steven Keown, adding that 'we are seeking confirmation of that.' On an indictment dated between 25 March 2020 and 29 November 2023, Flannery, who was awarded the coach of the year accolade in 2019, was charged with having, possessing and distributing indecent images of children, the Belfast Telegraph reports. Having been on police bail since his arrest in November 2023, the former barber turned top trampoline coach was formally charged four weeks ago and was due to have his first appearance on Friday, May 23. It emerged last weekend however the Co. Mayo native, who had been living on the Upper Lisburn Road in Belfast, had been found dead in the Hungarian capital. Until his arrest Flannery had been the head of the trampoline program at NI's largest trampoline club and had been involved in training some of NI's best trampoline gymnasts who have competed all over the world. Giving evidence to the court today, Detective Constable Shannon said the PSNI had been contacted by authorities in Budapest 'to make us aware and to contact the next of kin." But that since then, the police have 'requested official confirmation of the death.' Judge Keown said that 'to keep ourselves right,' he believed the officer should give evidence that she believes she can connect Flannery to the charges and accordingly, that was done. Suggesting that the case be adjourned for a month, Mr Harvey said he would liaise with Flannery's family and An Garda Síochána. Judge Keown agreed and scheduled the case for an update on 20 June.
ITV News
24-05-2025
- ITV News
Man appears in court after armed stand-off with police in Bangor during which he demanded to be shot
An RAF veteran appeared in court on Saturday accused of a firearms offence after he pointed a 'realistic looking' imitation gun at armed police demanding to be shot. Described by District Judge Mark Hamill as a case of 'suicide by cop,' Belfast Magistrates Court heard that Peter Donaldson is lucky to be alive as he put officers in such a state of fear, they fired several rounds at the 45-year-old during a near two hour stand-off. Det. Const. Martin added however Donaldson had 'retreated behind the cover of the doorway…so there was a very small target area,' adding that with Bangor High Street cordoned off and several members of the public 'extracted to hard cover,' a police dog brought the stand off to an end when it bit Donaldson on the leg. Appearing in the dock in a wheelchair and with his lower left leg heavily bandaged Donaldson, from Ballyree Drive in Bangor, confirmed he was aware of the charges against him - possessing an imitation firearm with intent to cause fear of violence and assaulting police. Giving evidence that he believed he could connect Donaldson to each of the offences, DC Martin said while police were sympathetic to the defendant's position, police were objecting to bail due to fears of further offending, to protect the public and also to protect the defendant himself. In an incident captured on video and widely shared over social media and news platforms, he told the court how Donaldson walked into the offices of Quick Cabs in the city centre at around 9:20pm on Sunday evening. He told the woman working there to call 999, to ask for armed response and that while he had a gun tucked into the waistband of his trousers, 'he wasn't going to hurt her…and that he'd been serving in the army in combat zones.' Officers from the Armed Response Unit (ARU) rushed to the scene and when they arrived '"he's then pointed the gun out the front door and racked it in the direction of police who, fearing the defendant was going to shoot, fired multiple rounds at the defendant but did not hit him, him having retreated behind the cover of the doorway.' During the standoff Donaldson made multiple demands to be shot by the police who continually tried to talk him down and the court heard how they were calling to him: 'You're a hero. You don't need to do this. We're not going to shoot you.' The court also heard however the defendant was shouting at them 'I'm not going to harm you. I respect the law. Just shoot me.' Eventually, at around 11:30pm, a police dog brought the tense situation to an end and officers were able to step in and disarm Donaldson after he was bitten on the leg. The gun he had turned out to be a black replica of a Glock which would only fire ball bearings and the courtc heard that when officers searched Donaldson's home, they uncovered a further seven weapons. DC Martin said officers also found a suicide note and a crossbow, tied with string to a weights bench in such a way that it would fire a bolt at the user. Arrested and interviewed Donaldson 'gave a full and frank account' and was apologetic and remorseful for the position he had put the officers in and the upset and turmoil he had caused in the city centre. He told police that having been in the RAF from 2001 and to 2006 where he served two tours of Iraq, he was medically discharged after suffering a back injury of such severity that he has since been on painkillers, including fentanyl, a plethora of medications. While his doctor had advised him to come off meds slowly, he stopped them all because of their side effects and how they make him feel but as the weekend progressed 'he got progressively worse.' After consuming part of a bottle of Southern Comfort which was delivered to his home, he got a taxi into Bangor centre and after having a couple more drinks in three bars, he has made his way to the taxi depot. Donaldson told cops that if a taxi had been outside at that time, he may 'have just have got in it and gone home, however as he sat in the taxi office, his back pain got progressively worse and this made up his mind for him and then he's then formed the intention to attract police to shoot him.' DC Martin said while police 'have a great deal of sympathy for this man,' there were objections to him being granted bail due to perceived risks to the public and to himself given that he had created a potentially lethal situation. Lodging an impassioned plea for bail and 'for mercy,' defence solicitor Hamill Clawson said the fact that Donaldson was in the dock in a wheelchair was not just because of the dog bite but that the 45-year-old swaps between a wheelchair, a rollator and a walking stick, depending on how much pain he is in. He told the court that having been discharged from the RAF in 2006, Donaldson had been living in a specially adapted bungalow 'silently and in pain,' not bothering anyone and almost as a recluse until last weekend when 'he reached the end of his tether.' Mr Clawson told the court Donaldson had been living of his meagre veteran's pension, that he had not claimed any benefits he would be entitled to and more specifically, he had also not reached out or contact any of the services or associations linked to armed forced veterans to help him with his mental health or PTSD. He highlighted however that Donaldson is 'a man who requires mercy, is a man who requires assistance' so having spoken to the directors at Reid, Black & Co, 'we do a lot of work with veterans, and this man has never been supported by any of the veteran associations.' 'My directors have told me to address the court and indicate that we will be giving an undertaking to have the different associations engage with him if the court was minded to grant bail,' Mr Clawson told the court. The solicitor said the incident itself had sparked an emergency referral to the pain management team and the five days Donaldson has spent in hospital has helped him get back to normality and an even keel. 'He is a man of honour, a man who has served his country,' Mr Clawson emphasised, 'who came to the unusual decision that he would engage police to shoot him…but this is a man who had lived a silent life of suffering.' Judge Hamill said the case gave him 'deja vu' of a case he had 20 years ago when an army veteran who had served in Bosnia went into the Ulster Hospital and held a knife to a doctor's throat 'demanding that he be given a lethal injection.' He said while he would grant bail, it would be subject to numerous conditions including being barred from Bangor city centre. Freeing Donaldson on his own bail of £400 and adjourning the case to 26 June, Judge Hamill ordered him to reside at home, to observe a curfew, to report to police once a week and to 'take advantage of any psychiatric or medical help.'
Sunday World
15-05-2025
- Sunday World
Man charged with gun murder of Danny McClean and attempted murder of dissident republican
The suspect (50) is due in court today A man is due in court today charged with the murder of Danny McClean in Belfast more than four years ago. He is also accused of the attempted murder of taxi driver Sean O'Reilly in February. The suspect (50), who was arrested in north Belfast on Tuesday, has also been charged with firearms offences in relation to both incidents. He is expected to appear before Belfast Magistrates Court on Thursday morning Danny McClean Watch: Forensics at the scene of shooting in west Belfast The man had also been arrested on suspicion of the murder of Jim Donegan, also in Belfast, in December 2018, but he is not facing any charges in relation to this. As is usual procedure, all charges are reviewed by the Public Prosecution Service. The arrest of the suspect on Tuesday was made following a search by the PSNI's Major Investigation Team in north Belfast. Murder victim Danny McClean Detective Inspector Gina Quinn said: 'In respect of the attempted murder in west Belfast, a 49-year-old man was shot as he sat inside a taxi in the Bell Steel Manor area on the morning of Sunday 23 February. We believe two gunmen approached the vehicle on foot, and a number of shots were fired in a cold-blooded attack intended to kill. 'Danny McClean, aged 54, was murdered on the evening of 2 February 2021. He was shot a number of times by a gunman as he sat in a car parked in the driveway of a property on the Cliftonville Road in north Belfast. Jim 'JD' Donegan 'Jim Donegan, aged 43, was murdered as he waited, in his car, to collect his son from school. This was in the Glen Road area of west Belfast on the afternoon of 4 December 2018. Mr Donegan was shot several times by a gunman.' The attempted murder charge is in relation to dissident Sean O'Reilly. The attack on Mr O'Reilly sparked fears of a violent retaliation amid an escalating feud between members of the dissident gang Oglaigh na hEireann (ONH) earlier this year. Sean O'Reilly during the Republican Network for Unity Easter commemoration in Milltown cemetery on April 20 The victim was sitting in his car outside the taxi firm where he works in Poleglass when two masked men approached his vehicle shortly before 10.30am and fired multiple shots. The wounded driver was taken to the Royal Victoria Hospital where and was initially described as being in critical but stable condition. Mr Donegan was shot dead in his Porsche car as he waited to collect his 13-year-old son outside St Mary's Christian Brothers School in 2018. A Police Ombudsman probe previously said the PSNI "missed opportunities" to identify the subject of a dissident republican threat six months before the killing – the watchdog found a failure by police to link him to intelligence it received about a threat on an unnamed man.
Sunday World
06-05-2025
- Sunday World
Man fined after his four unmuzzled lurcher dogs mauled cat to death
The court heard that while 'two or three of the dogs were pulling at the cat,' a good Samaritan intervened and managed to take the stricken animal from them Darren Prenter failed to attend Belfast Magistrates Court today as a prosecuting lawyer outlined how his pack of four lurchers attacked a cat in an entry between the Alliance Road and Ballysillan Playing Fields on September 9, last year. District Judge George Conner proceeded to hear the case in the defendant's absence after hearing that the 28-year-old had been written to on multiple occasions. The court heard that while 'two or three of the dogs were pulling at the cat,' a good Samaritan intervened and managed to take the stricken animal from them. However, the prosecutor said 'the cat passed away in this person's arms a short time later.' Prenter, from Velsheda Court, was interviewed under caution about the incident and admitted he had been walking his four lurcher-type dogs without a muzzle but said he 'did not know' it was against the law. The lawyer explained to Judge Conner that under section one of the Control of Greyhounds Act (Northern Ireland) 1950, it is an offence to walk more than two greyhounds or lurchers without them being muzzled. Darren Prenter Prenter was convicted on each of the six offences including: • Having four lurcher-type dogs which 'attacked and fatally injured another animal' at an entry between Alliance Road and Ballysillan Playing Fields; • Being in charge of more than two lurcher-type dogs at Alliance Road/Ballysillan Playing Fields and; • Being in charge of four lurcher-type dogs which were off-lead and not muzzled at Alliance Road/Ballysillan Fields. In total, Judge Conner imposed fines amounting to £1,000 as well as a £25 offender levy. Prenter was also ordered to pay £144 costs. This is not the first time that Prenter has been charged with having dogs which attacked another animal. At the time his lurchers set upon the cat, Prenter was subject to a two-month prison sentence, suspended for three years, after he admitted aggravated trespass on Glenwherry Moor. In December 2023, Ballymena Magistrates Court heard how the moor's gamekeeper alerted the police to suspected hare coursing and shortly after police arrived, Prenter and two other men, Patrick Robert Shannon (52) and Patrick McGourty (29) came walking across fields with 'three lurcher dogs and a springer spaniel.' 'Police spoke to them and they said they had been out walking their dogs,' said the lawyer, adding that a search of the car revealed two dead hares behind the passenger seat. The trio were given a formal police caution and claimed they were 'looking for rabbits and foxes…and that the hares were found by the roadside.' Darren Prenter The News in 90 Seconds - Tuesday, 6th of May The court heard, however, that it was likely the two dead hares had been coursed as 'there were puncture wounds' but the defence argued there was no evidence they had been killed on Glenwherry Moor. Shannon, from Annesley Street, McGourty who is from Cranbrook Court, and Prenter each admitted aggravated trespass on Glenwherry Moor and all three were handed suspended prison sentences. In passing the sentence, Judge Martina Connolly KC described hare coursing as 'disgusting and despicable.' She warned that hare coursing is essentially a 'day out of planned cruelty' and is 'a blight, literally, on the landscape as it involves horrific cruelty on animals…cruelty of any animal is something that the courts will not tolerate.'
