Second man charged over bomb find

Security was tight at the courthouse in Craigavon

A second man has appeared in court charged after the discovery of parts for a 250lb bomb in County Armagh.

Stephen John Coleman, 26, from Tarry Drive in Lurgan is charged with having explosives and conspiracy to cause an explosion.

He was remanded in custody to appear again at Craigavon Magistrates Court via video link on Thursday.

It follows the discovery of bomb components during a police operation in Lurgan last week.

A detective sergeant told the court that the accused made no reply when charged.

No guarantee

A defending solicitor then asked if he could confirm that the police could not guarantee that the solicitor/client consultation facilities were not bugged at the serious crime facility at Antrim police station.

The officer replied that it was the policy of the district commander at Antrim not to provide those assurances.

He agreed that the defence had asked for and been refused alternative consultation facilities but said the normal facilities had been provided to the defence and had been availed of.

Asked by the solicitor if her client been advised to make no comment because he was unable to avail of effective legal advice, the detective replied: "I believe that was the case".

The detective added that the accused had, nonetheless, been advised of his legal rights.

The accused was remanded in custody to appear again at Craigavon via video link on Thursday.

Another man has been remanded in custody over the find, whilst two men have been released from custody.