Man who admitted possessing gun used to murder Lyra McKee remanded into custody

A Derry man who admitted possessing the gun used to murder journalist Lyra McKee was remanded into custody on Friday.

Niall Sheerin will be sentenced for the offence next month and an application to allow him to remain on bail until then was refused at Belfast Crown Court.

Earlier this week, the 29-year old from Tyrconnell Street in Derry admitted possessing a firearm and ammunition with intent to enable another person to endanger life or cause serious damage to property.

This plea, his barrister said on Friday, was on the grounds that Sheerin possessed and stored the weapon for a Republican paramilitary organisation but without the knowledge “this weapon had been used in the murder of Lyra McKee”.

Ms McKee (29) died after she was shot while observing rioting in the Creggan area of Derry on April 18th, 2019.

Sheerin was charged with, and initially denied, three offences linked to the murder weapon, and appeared at Belfast Crown Court via a videolink with his solicitor’s office in Derry on Wednesday of this week.

He was re-arraigned and pleaded guilty to possessing .22 calibre Hammerli self-loading pistol, magazine and a quantity of .22 calibre cartridges with intent to enable another person to endanger life or cause serious damage to property on dates between September 22nd, 2018 and June 6th, 2020.

Following this admission, the Crown left two other charges ‘on the books’, and his legal team asked Judge Stephen Fowler to grant their client continued bail ahead of sentencing.

This request was adjourned until Friday when Sheerin was ordered to appear in court in person.

Judge Fowler was told by a Crown barrister that an agreed set of facts regarding the offence was in the final stages of preparation.

The barrister said it was accepted by the Crown that Sheerin possessed the firearm with “the intention to enable somebody else to endanger life”.

He added that the decision whether or not to remand Sheerin ahead of sentencing was a matter for the court.

Defence barrister Kieran Mallon QC said Sheerin’s wife is due to give birth to their third child in August, and asked that sentencing take place after the birth.

Mr Mallon said: “The accused accepts by his plea that he was in possession of the weapon and that he had stored it in circumstances where he was unaware of its history — but clearly knew it was a weapon from a Republican paramilitary organisation.

“In this particular case, with the agreed basis of plea, because of the history of this particular weapon, it is not the prosecution’s contention that this accused had any knowledge of the fact that this weapon had been used in the murder of Lyra McKee.”

Asking for continuing bail, Mr Mallon said Sheerin had not breached his bail in the past and has “always honoured” the conditions imposed.

Denying the application, Judge Fowler said that due to his plea Sheerin was a “convicted person now awaiting sentence on an extremely serious charge.

“In those circumstances, given the inevitability of a custodial sentence, I’m of the view he is not a suitable candidate for bail at this stage.

“I’m going to refuse bail and the defendant will be taken into custody.”

The hearing was concluded when Judge Fowler set the date for the plea and sentence as Friday, June 10th.