A defendant on bail for alleged weapons and drugs offences cannot travel to Spain to help search for missing Belfast man John George, a judge has ruled.
Gerald Verner wanted permission to fly to Alicante to assist ongoing efforts to locate his 37-year-old friend, according to a defence lawyer.
The legal bid was refused after Belfast Magistrates’ Court heard Verner is currently under threat in the community.
District Judge Steven Keown ruled: “It is a bizarre application without any merit whatsoever.”
Mr George, also known as John Hardy, had been holidaying in the Spanish city but was last in touch with his family on December 14.
The father-of-two was reported missing after failing to board a flight back to Northern Ireland four days later.
Since then relatives and friends have gone out to scour the area in an attempt to find out what happened to him.
A search and rescue team from Northern Ireland also carried out an operation without finding any traces of his whereabouts.
With Mr George’s father now fearing that he is dead, the family have vowed to continue the hunt until his body is recovered and returned to Belfast.
Verner, 37, and with a previous address at Fairview Terrace in Newtownabbey, is facing prosecution in connection with the seizure of a military-style gun, ammunition and £50,000 worth of drugs.
Police arrested him and a co-accused after recovering the M4 Carbine rifle, high velocity rounds and a quantity of cocaine at a house in Carrickfergus in May 2023.
Verner is currently out on bail charged with possessing a firearm and ammunition in suspicious circumstances, and having Class A drugs with intent to supply.
Under the terms of his release he is prohibited from leaving Northern Ireland.
Defence solicitor Mark Austin argued that the ban should be temporarily lifted so that his client could join the search.
“It’s an application to allow Mr Verner to travel to Spain for the purpose of looking for his friend Mr George,” he submitted.
With Verner not present for the court hearing, Mr Austin said his non-attendance was due to being “under threat in this community”.
Police opposed the application after disclosing that the George family has been asked to put their efforts on hold.
“They were directed to stop searching as it is hindering the Spanish police’s investigation,” a detective said.
Denying permission to Verner, Judge Keown observed: “He wants to go to Alicante to help, against Spanish police advice, to look for this unfortunate man’s body.
“It’s a bit of a double-edged word that he is under threat.”