Northern Ireland

Charges dropped following Shandon Park Golf Club bomb attack

Police and army bomb disposal experts at Shandon Park Golf Club in east Belfast after a suspect device was found under a car in the car park in June 2019. Picture by David Young/PA Wire.
Police and army bomb disposal experts at Shandon Park Golf Club in east Belfast after a suspect device was found under a car in the car park in June 2019. Picture by David Young/PA Wire. Police and army bomb disposal experts at Shandon Park Golf Club in east Belfast after a suspect device was found under a car in the car park in June 2019. Picture by David Young/PA Wire.

All charges have been dropped against a Dublin man following an attack on a police officer in east Belfast last summer, his lawyer has said.

Paul Casey (49) was arrested in August in Dublin by members of the Garda Special Detective Unit as part of the cross-border probe into the discovery of an explosive device under the target's car at Shandon Park Golf Club.

Mr Casey, of Carton Court, Ballymun, Dublin 11, had been accused of membership of an unlawful organisation but this morning the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) agreed to drop the matter, Mr Casey's law firm said in a statement.

Peter Corrigan from Phoenix Law said: "We welcome today's decision to drop all charges in relation to our client.

"We highlighted that there was no case to answer and welcome today's decision by the DPP to drop all charges against our client."

Proceedings were heard at Dublin's Special Criminal Court.

Last June a tournament, which was being held at the golf club, was cancelled and dozens of people were evacuated following the alert.

The device was a viable improvised explosive, police said.

It was discovered a short distance from PSNI headquarters.