Irish prisoners heavily guarded

Press, 3 July 1985, Page 10

Irish prisoners heavily guarded

NZPA-Reuter London Police marksmen and a helicopter shadowed a London courthouse yesterday for the first appearance of a Belfast man accused of planting a bomb that killed five people and narrowly missed the British Prime Minister, Mrs Margaret Thatcher. Patrick Joseph Magee, aged 34, who is charged with planting the bomb that ripped through the Grand Hotel in Brighton last October 12, arrived in court wearing only a pair of shorts under a rough brown

blanket slung poncho-style around his neck. Two other men, Gerald Patrick Michael McDonnel, aged 34, and Peter John Joseph Sherry, aged 30, charged with conspiring to cause explosions this year, appeared with him wearing only shorts and blue blankets around their waists. No pleas were taken and all three men were remanded in custody for three days. Police with dogs sealed off the court, searching everyone entering, and also ringed the inside of the

; courtroom. The accused did not ad- | dress the court during the , 30-minute hearing but i smiled, waved and winked , at relatives in the public » gallery and whispered among themselves. As he was led away, Magee, bearded with short dark hair, gave a clenchedfist wave. In all, seven people appeared in court yesterday. Martina Elizabeth Anderson, aged 23, Ella O’Dwyer, aged 26, and Donal Dominic Craig, aged 27, faced the

same charges as McDonnel and Sherry. A third woman, Una Agnes Cecilia Lowney, aged 21, was charged with withholding information about an act of terrorism in Northern Ireland. All were remanded to tomorrow. The Irish Republican Army claimed responsibility for the Brighton bombing, which took place during the annual conference of Mrs Thatcher’s Conservative Party.