A man charged in relation to the IRA abduction and disappearance of undercover British army officer more than 30 years ago was remanded on bail when he appeared in court today.
Kevin Crilly (58), Lower Foughill Road, Jonesborough, Co Armagh, appeared briefly at Newry Magistrates’ Court on charges of assaulting and kidnapping Captain Robert Nairac in 1977.
He denies the charges.
Capt Nairac (29), from Gloucestershire, was abducted by the IRA from Dromintee, Co Armagh, on May 14th, 1977. His body was never found.
The charges against Mr Crilly were made after he was secretly filmed by the BBC for a Spotlight investigativeprogramme which re-examined the murder in 2007.
Police told the initial hearing when Mr Crilly was charged that the programme had been the trigger for the reopening of the case and much of the evidence would come from it.
Today a prosecution lawyer told District Judge Paul Copeland at Newry Magistrates’ Court that the Crown was not yet in a position to proceed to a committal hearing because some of the evidence was not yet in a form acceptable to the court.
The judge adjourned the case until April 15th when he said he would want to fix a date for the committal hearing.
Mr Crilly was remanded on continuing bail of £120,000.
Capt Nairac was seized during a struggle in the pub’s car park, taken across the border to a field at Ravensdale, Co Louth, and beaten before being shot dead.
PA