A FATHER OF four has been described in court in Derry as a “key player” in the vigilante organisation Republican Action Against Drugs (RAAD)
A detective constable, a member of the PSNI’s serious crime branch, made the comment when he opposed an application for a variation in bail by Kieran George McCool, who faces a charge of having a stun gun in his home on July 17th.
Mr McCool (42), Ederowen Park, Galliagh, Derry, was released on conditional bail at an early court appearance two months ago.
Part of his bail conditions are that he must wear an electronic tag and observe an 8pm-8am curfew.
At the Magistrate’s Court in Derry yesterday, his solicitor, Paddy McGurk, said that the bail conditions hindered the applicant from looking after his four-year-old son who had medical difficulties which prevented the child from sleeping at night.
Mr McGurk said his client, the sole carer for his son, wanted the bail conditions varied to enable him to take his son for a walk or a drive during his curfew hours.
Opposing the application, the detective constable said: “It should be noted that since the applicant has been subject to electronic tagging and a curfew, there appears to be a noted reduction in attacks carried out against the local community by the RAAD grouping.”
The detective also told the court that “police also strongly believe part of this activity involves the applicant travelling across the Border into the Republic of Ireland”.
Applying for the variations, Mr McGurk said it was his client’s case that the stun gun was for defensive purposes and he said he was willing to apply to his client’s GP to produce medical evidence in relation to his son.
Adjourning the application until October 18th, Judge Barney McElholm said he wanted “expert information as to how it could be beneficial to a young child by taking that child out late at night for a walk or a drive in cold, damp air. That does not seem to me to be logical”.
Judge McElholm said he wanted to hear from an appropriate medical expert to the boy’s medical problems and he also wanted proof that the applicant was the sole carer for his son.