Three men have been ordered to stand trial accused of robbing an Amazon delivery driver.
Appearing at Lisburn Magistrates Court by videolink on Monday, from a videolink suite at HMP Maghaberry, 33-year-old Aidan Magennis, his cousin Paul Patrick Magennis (31) and 29-year-old Ryan Kelly were jointly charged with three offences - robbery of Amazon parcels, receiving stolen Amazon parcels and possessing a knife on 6 January this year.
In addition Aidan Magennis, from Broom Close in Dunmurry, was also charged with two counts of assaulting police and one of causing criminal damage by spitting in a police cell van.
Although none of the alleged facts were opened in court it had previously been alleged the victim was delivering Amazon parcels in Broom Park in Dunmurry and had just got back into his van when a man, allegedly Kelly, got into the passenger seat.
“He told him to get out however the male held a knife to his face and shouted at him four or five time to get the f*** out,” said a police officer adding that as the driver was “in genuine fear of being hurt,” he got out but took the keys with him.
The driver sought refuge in a nearby shop but noticed another man at his van and when he went back a few minutes later, parcels had been stolen.
A resident reported seeing three men running past their house carrying a number of parcels and when police arrived at the scene they saw three men, allegedly the defendants, standing in front room of a property on Broom Close.
The police officer told the court when they went inside, the men had ran out the back but they had left a number of Amazon parcels in the house. When police spotted who they believed to be the same three men, in a neighbouring, empty property they were arrested.
In court on Monday a prosecuting lawyer submitted there was a case to answer against each of the accused which was conceded their various defence lawyers while the defendants themselves declined to comment on the charges.
Remanding all three back into custody District Judge Rosie Watters returned the case to Craigavon Crown Court for trial with their arraignment scheduled to be heard on 1 February.