Man awaiting trial over alleged IRA activity has bail relaxed to attend 80s disco

Carl Reilly (46) has been charged with terrorist offences dating back to 2014 and is awaiting trial.

The charges include directing the activities of a terrorist organisation - namely the ‘Irish Republican Army' - and belonging to the same proscribed organisation on dates between January 2014 and October 2015.

Reilly, of Pollard Close in the west of the city, was arrested following a security operation involving covert recordings at the Carrickdale Hotel in Co Louth.

An application was made on behalf of Reilly to amend one his bail conditions to allow him to attend an 80s disco in west Belfast.

Defence barrister Michael Forde asked for his client's curfew to be varied at Belfast Crown Court. He said that while it was accepted that the charges were serious, it was also the case that the accused has now been on bail for over five years.

Mr Forde pointed out to Judge Fiona Bagnall that Reilly's bail has been varied in the past to allow him to travel to Spain and Manchester, and asked that his curfew be extended to 2am.

He added that this would allow Reilly to attend the disco in Falls Park on August 13 which ends at midnight, then return home.

A Crown barrister told the judge "there is a principled objection and there has been all along to these applications".

They said the objection to the application arose from a lack of knowledge about who Reilly was attending the disco with and who he might meet at the event. The prosecutor asked that if the variation was granted, this information should be provided to the PSNI.

Judge Bagnall said she was prepared to relax the curfew, but set the time at 1am instead of the proposed 2am, saying there was "no reason" why Reilly cannot get home within an hour of the disco ending.

She also ordered that information on who Reilly will be with should be "furnished to police" 48 hours before the disco takes place.