A man charged in connection with a dissident republican parade in Derry last year has been refused permission to attend a friend’s birthday party.
Stephen Murney (39) of Derrybeg Terrace in Newry faces three charges of encouraging and inciting support for a proscribed organisation, namely the IRA, on April 10 and making a speech on that date which encouraged support.
At Monday’s hearing a defence barrister, Michael Forden, said Murney was seeking a bail variation to allow him to enter Derry and attend a friend’s party and spend a night in the city.
A police officer opposed the application and said that there were other suspects in the case and some of them could be at this party allowing Murney to associate with them.
She added that Murney was ‘a very active republican’ and had breached bail twice in December by attending dissident republican protests in Newry and Dublin.
The officer told the court that Murney was arrested on December 23 and released on bail on December 26.
The court was told that the proposed address for Murney to stay at was also unsuitable.
Deputy District Judge Liam McStay said that this was “a frivolous application” and added that bail conditions were there for a reason. He refused the application and the case will be mentioned on February 14 with a PE scheduled for February 29.