THE trial of a man accused of the attempted murder of a senior PSNI officer was adjourned for 24 hours today over an undisclosed matter.
Co Fermanagh man Peter Thomas Granaghan has been charged with and denies three counts arising from the incident - namely attempting to murder a serving member of the PSNI, and both making and possessing explosives with intent to endanger life.
It is the prosecution's case that DNA from the 41-year old accused of Blackrock Park in Belleelk was located on two separate component parts of the under-vehicle improvised explosive device which was found under the police officer's car at Shandown Park Golf Club in east Belfast on Saturday, June 1, 2019.
The non-jury Diplock-style trial is currently being heard before Belfast Recorder Judge Stephen Fowler QC.
At Belfast Crown Court today where the trial was set to resume, senior prosecutor Ciaran Murphy QC told the judge: "I have been informed about a matter by the police which I have referred to a senior person in the Public Prosecution Service, something which I cannot debate on further.
"At the moment it requires at least some investigation and police have been directed to carry that out.
"I hope to be in a position to have further information in relation to the matter by tomorrow morning.''
Mr Murphy said it was a "matter which may impact on the evidence'', adding: "I can't explain further at this stage''.
Defence counsel John Larkin QC told the court that he had been "informed in similar terms about what was going on'', adding both he and the court had been "left in the dark'' about the matter and he "can't agree to an adjournment", but would "leave the matter up to the court' to decide.
Judge Fowler said he had also been informed that there was a "matter which might impact on the evidence'' and the "correct course of action was to adjourn'' until the following day.
During the opening day of the trial last week, a statement from the targeted police officer - named only as Witness A - was read into the evidence.
He said he was walking back to his grey Cherokee car after playing a round of golf at Shandon Park when he noticed an object resembling a brown shoe-box lying under it.
The officer said that as he got closer to the Jeep, he realised the object was attached to the underneath area of the vehicle and "looked crude and basic... like a kids woodwork project and I wondered if it was placed there as a wind-up."
On closer inspection "I could see there was black tape on the side of the wooden box".
A controlled explosion was carried out on the device which was fitted with a mercury tilt switch and timer and contained the explosive substance TNT.
