Two men are to stand trial on charges connected to hoax warnings about bombs at Sinn Fein representatives’ houses and party offices, a judge has ordered.
Finton Geraghty, 45, is accused of making false claims that explosive devices had been left at the homes of North Belfast MP John Finucane and city councillor Seanna Walsh.
Co-defendant Christopher Maxwell, 46, was allegedly behind a bogus alert that a bomb had been left at Connolly House, Sinn Fein’s former headquarters in west Belfast.
Both men are also accused of involvement in a similar hoax at an ‘Eleventh Night’ bonfire site.
At Belfast Magistrates’ Court, District on Wednesday, Judge Steven Keown ruled there is enough evidence for the cases to proceed to trial.
Geraghty, of Ivy Hill in Lisburn, is charged with two counts of communicating false information causing belief of an explosion.
It is alleged that he contacted a priest on July 1, 2019 with the intention of inducing a bogus belief that bombs were present at the homes of Mr Finucane and Mr Walsh.
He is also accused of falsely informing a PSNI operator ten days later that an explosive device had been left at Avoniel Leisure Centre in east Belfast.
Maxwell, of Blackstaff Mews in the city, faces two counts of communicating false information causing belief of an explosion and a further charge of placing an article causing a bomb hoax.
The allegations against him relate to the leisure centre incident on July 11, 2019 and another fake warning the following year.
Maxwell communicated bogus information to a member of Sinn Fein’s staff that a bomb had been left at Connolly House and placed a hoax article at the party offices on August 9, 2020, according to the charges.
Proceedings were previously on hold amid efforts to obtain information on a report from a voice expert.
But both accused attended court for a preliminary enquiry into the charges.
During the brief hearing Geraghty and Maxwell declined to give evidence or call any witnesses at this stage.
Defence solicitors Mark Austin and Paul Farrell did not contest Crown submissions that their clients have prima facie cases to answer.
Granting the prosecution’s application, Judge Keown returned the two accused for trial at Belfast Crown Court on a date to be fixed.
Geraghty and Maxwell were both released on continuing bail