A man has been acquitted of all charges he faced over bugged Continuity IRA meetings almost a decade ago.
Darren James Gleeson (41), who is originally from Dublin but with a bail address at Cable Street in Derry, had been on trial at Belfast Crown Court on eight charges arising out of two secretly recorded meetings by MI5.
It was the prosecution case that Gleeson travelled from his home in Dublin to Newry to attend the meetings with fellow dissidents at a house in August and October 2014.
Seven other men who attended the meetings later admitted their presence at the bugged property, and in November 2020 all seven were sentenced to a total of 33 years on a range of offences.
Gleeson denied all the charges against him, including IRA membership, conspiring to possess explosives with intent to endanger life, and the preparation of terrorist acts.
The non-jury trial started at Belfast Crown Court in October 2022, where it was alleged that Gleeson attended the two Continuity IRA meetings.
Those present were recorded discussing topics such as the purchase of firearms, the best way to make bombs, earmarking potential targets and links with other dissident groups.
Crown barrister Ciaran Murphy KC told Mr Justice Colton the two meetings allegedly attended by Gleeson in August and October 2014 were meetings of “like-minded individuals to discuss terrorism and moving their terrorist aspirations forward”.
The prosecutor said it was the Crown’s case that during the August 2014 meeting, Gleeson and others were recorded discussing the IRA on both sides of the border.
Other topics discussed by the group and caught on the covert recording included discussing potential robberies to raise funds and the need for explosives training.
The prosecution said the evidence against Gleeson was circumstantial but when all the strands of evidence were taken together, the court would be in no doubt that the defendant was present at Ardcarn Park on the relevant dates.
In his ruling on Wednesday, Mr Justice Colton said: “The case against the defendant is a circumstantial one. That does not mean that it is a weak one.
"Self-evidently, the individual pieces of evidence identified do not establish the defendant was present at Ardcarn Park on the relevant dates so counts one to seven are not proven by direct evidence. I acquit the defendant on count eight (possessing records likely to be useful to committing an act of terrorism).
"I am not satisfied that the prosecution has proven to the requisite standard that the defendant was present at Ardcarn Park.
“I am not satisfied beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant is guilty...the evidence in its totality leaves me with a reasonable doubt as to his guilt.
"The individual strands of evidence which I have analysed undoubtedly give rise to a high suspicion that the defendant was present, but they do not 'cross the line' to establish guilt to the criminal standard.
“Accordingly, I acquit the defendant on all eight counts,’’ added Mr Justice Colton.