Two men appear in court following armed attack on house in markets area of Belfast

By Paul Higgins

Police have “real intelligence” of threats against two men accused of rioting in a Belfast housing estate, a court heard today. 

Giving evidence to Belfast Magistrates Court, Constable Kirk said the police feared street violence would “escalate” if the two men, 33-year-old Liam McDaid and Samuel Manning (32), were freed to live in Belfast. 

McDaid from Mountpottinger Road and Manning from Lisbon Street appeared separately in court but jointly charged on three offences - possessing a weapon, rioting in the area of Friendly Street in the Markets area and causing criminal damage to a door belonging to the Housing Executive on Thursday April 23. 

While Manning is alleged to have had a knife, McDaid is accused of having a “metal stick.”

Ciaran Toner, acting for Manning, conceded the police contention that he could be connected to the offences Sean O’Hare, defence counsel for McDaid challenged the connection. 

In questions lodged with the court by the lawyer, Constable Kirk agreed there were no civilian witness statements, that the case against the defendant “relies solely on mobile phone footage uploaded to social media” and there’s been no formal identification process. 

The officer told the court while there’s been no formal complaint of damage, “there will be a statement from the NIHE” and that a “large combat knife” which would constitute a machete, has been seized and exhibited. 

She told the court how the offences arose after a “large crowd of approximately six males....most of them carrying weapons,” got out of three cars and attacked a house on Friendly Street. 

Describing it as a “violent altercation,” the constable said she had viewed the footage just before the court sat, adding that while there’s been no formal ID process “I’m satisfied that it was the two males who are before the court this morning.”

“The difficulty for police was that this was intelligence led, lots of intelligence came in around this and that’s how the defendants were identified,“ said the officer. 

Despite Mr O’Hare’s submissions there was insufficient evidence to connect McDaid and that the social media footage would be “completely inadmissible,” District Judge Fiona Bagnall said the test for her was if there are “reasonable grounds for suspicion.”

“That’s a relatively low bar in the circumstances,” said the judge adding that “I’m satisfied, at this stage, that there is sufficient evidence to connect the defendant to the offences.”

Turning to the issue of bail, Constable Kirk said the police wanted the pair to be bailed “as far away” as possible from Belfast as there was “real intelligence that there are threats against them.”

Both suspects were freed on their own bail of £500 and ordered to stay at their bail addresses outside of the city. 

District judge Bagnall also imposed curfews and barred them from contacting each other and from being in private motor vehicles “save for going from custody” to their bail addresses. 

McDaid’s case was adjourned to May 22 and Manning’s to May 21.