Four deny attack on RUC station

Four men arrested after a gun attack on Woodbourne RUC station in west Belfast last week appeared at the Magistrates Court yesterday…

Four men arrested after a gun attack on Woodbourne RUC station in west Belfast last week appeared at the Magistrates Court yesterday. The four, from west Belfast, are Mr Sean O'Reilly (23) of Ardkeen View; Mr Brendan Burns (20) of St James Gardens; Mr Carl Reilly (22) of Beechmount Street, and Mr Thomas Crossan (27) of Rodney Parade. They were charged with possessing an AKM rifle, a .38 revolver and ammunition, with intent to endanger life. The firearms were recovered by police soon after a number of high-velocity shots were fired at the station on January 14th.

A detective sergeant gave evidence of charging the defendants. He said Mr O'Reilly replied: "I was not in possession of any firearms on the 14th of January or any other time before that." The detective said Mr Burns and Mr Reilly both replied "not guilty" and Mr Crossan said "nothing to say". They were remanded in custody until February 10th.

  • Join The Irish Times on WhatsApp and stay up to date

  • Sign up for push alerts to get the best breaking news, analysis and comment delivered directly to your phone

  • Listen to In The News podcast daily for a deep dive on the stories that matter