An RUC officer gave evidence at Craigavon Magistrate's Court yesterday about alleged incidents during a sitdown in the nationalist area of Garvaghy Road, Portadown, last July.
Mr Brendan McKenna (38), Parkside, Craigavon, denies having hindered, or sought to hinder, the lawful free passage of traffic at Garvaghy Road on July 9th.
Supt James Blair, divisional commander in Portadown, admitted that he had not seen Mr McKenna sitting on the road during the alleged incident. On that day there had been an Orange parade from the town centre and a parade from Garvaghy Road to Carleton Street. He had seen a banner of the Garvaghy Residents' Group and had arranged for police lines to stop the marchers going to the centre of Portadown. The crowd came out on the Garvaghy Road and sat down, blocking it and Mr McKenna "appeared to be the organiser and directing the action of the people who were on the roadway".
The hearing was adjourned until June 25th.