A man accused of taking part in a racial attack on a home in north Belfast is to be released on bail, a Northern Ireland High Court judge ruled on Friday.
Curtis Bell (28) was allegedly part of a masked crowd that targeted houses on Rathlin Street earlier this month.
Men wearing balaclavas used hammers to smash windows and doors on two neighbouring properties because the residents were not from Northern Ireland, according to police.
Mr Bell, of Fingal Street in Belfast, is charged with criminal damage to a Czech family’s home during the incident on August 6th. Mr Justice McFarland granted him bail to live with relatives well away from the scene.
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Prosecutors said a PSNI helicopter monitored the attacks and directed officers on the ground as they pursued the crowd.
When Mr Bell was stopped and arrested officers recovered a balaclava from his pocket. During police interviews he denied involvement in any disorder or criminal damage to the house. He claimed he had just found the balaclava on the street, picked it up and put it in his pocket.
The attacks are believed to be part of the wider, racially motivated disorder across Belfast.
Mr Bell’s legal team argued he has never previously been involved in any similar offending and faces only a single, disputed charge.
In court today his lawyer confirmed that an alternative proposed address has now been approved by police.
Mr Justice McFarland said: “Obviously there are concerns (about) the ongoing targeting of specific properties, be they businesses or residences. However, on balance I believe Mr Bell is entitled to a bail order.”
Imposing a curfew and ban on being in the company of more than two others in public, the judge further directed: “He is excluded from Rathlin Street.”
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