A Dublin man who was recently convicted of IRA membership was yesterday given bail in relation to further charges brought by the English police. In the High Court, Ms Mary Ellen Ring, for Mr Anthony Duncan (28), of Kippure Park, Finglas, Dublin said her client was arrested last Monday on foot of an English warrant in relation to charges of conspiracy to cause explosions in the United Kingdom in 1994.
He had been remanded in custody until a date was fixed for a District Court hearing of the application for his extradition.
Ms Ring said Mr Duncan had originally been arrested on foot of a warrant in April 1996 on the same charges but, due to an error in the documents, was discharged. He was rearrested and charged with membership of an unlawful organisation.
He was in custody until his trial in the Special Criminal Court on December 15th last, when he was freed having been convicted on that date and sentenced to six months imprisonment backdated to June 1977.
Garda Sgt Donal O'Sullivan told Mr Justice McCracken that he was opposing bail because of the seriousness of the charge and the likelihood of the sentence to be imposed if Mr Duncan was convicted.
Det Supt William Emerton, of New Scotland Yard, opposing bail, said conspiracy offences carried a maximum sentence of life imprisonment or 25 years.
He said the police had fingerprint identification, hand writing evidence, eye witness accounts and a corroborated admission later made by Mr Duncan. Mr Justice McCracken said this was a bail application pending extradition proceedings, not an application pending a trial. He believed Mr Duncan was entitled to bail on lodgment of an independent surety of £20,000 cash and his own surety of £1,000 and granted bail on those conditions.