A BELFAST man who admitted purchasing a mobile phone and top-up vouchers, which were linked to the discovery of a remote-controlled bomb in Ardoyne, has been given a suspended sentence.
Conal Corbett - who has already spent seven months on remand for the four related offences - had his 18 month sentence suspended for two years, after appearing at Belfast Crown Court.
Judge Gordon Kerr QC said that while he accepted Corbett - who turned 20 today - was linked to the incident via the purchase of top-up cards for mobile phones used in he bomb plot, there was nothing to suggest he was involved in either the preparation or the placing of the device.
Judge Kerr said that he was also taking into account the fact that Corbett, from Oisin House the New Lodge area of north Belfast, was just 18 when he committed the offences, which all fall under the Terrorism Act 2000.
Previous hearings were told that Corbett was arrested at his then Flax Street flat in May 2015 following a police investigation into the discovery of a bomb that had been hidden in advertising hoarding in the Ardoyne area of north Belfast.
The prosecution said Corbett’s involvement came to light during the police investigation into the device, which was found by police in a follow-up search after a priest received a call saying a bomb had been left behind advertising hoarding at Sean Graham’s Bookmakers at Brompton Park.
The prosecution said that a group calling itself the New IRA later claimed responsibility.
Following the discovery, a police investigation was launched and it emerged that a top-up card used for one of the handsets had been bought in the Eurospar in Ardoyne.
CCTV footage from the store was seized and examined, which led to police searching Corbett’s flat.
The court heard that Corbett was also linked by CCTV footage to the purchase of a mobile phone and top-up card bought in CastleCourt on April 27 2015.
Corbett was arrested on May 7 and during a search of the premises, officers located a number of items that the Crown say showed sympathies with the republican cause.
These items included a handkerchief of Padraig Pearse, which had been signed by prisoners from the dissident wing in Maghaberry.
Other items located included a crossbow, a black balaclava and political poems written by Corbett.
The prosecution revealed that two items linked to terrorism were also located.
One was a piece of paper that had been folded and hidden in a doorbell box and which related to component parts of a rifle and ammunition and instructions on how to assembly an AK47
Corbett was interviewed on 12 separate occasions, and during each interview he made no reply to any question asked.
He subsequently pleaded guilty to four offences – two counts of possessing items for terrorist-related offences, namely the mobile phone and two top-up vouchers; collecting or making records of information for terrorism, and also possessing documents useful for terrorism.
Mark Mulholland QC, defending said that Corbett’s offending came at a time when there was an “element of naivety” and subsequent events had been a “stark wake-up call” for him and his family.
During yesterday' sentencing, Judge Kerr said that while the custody threshold had been passed, he was taking into account both Corbett's age at the time, and also the fact he has already served seven months.
Before releasing Corbett, the judge warned him to "steer clear or criminal behaviour" or risk being sent back to prison.
