01/09/2006

Three remanded on armed robbery charges

Three men have been remanded in custody charged with kidnapping and armed robbery.

The charges relate to two separate incidents in which security vans were robbed in Downpatrick in September 2004 and Belfast on April 2005, when almost £2 million was stolen.

The three were also charged with kidnapping two people during the robberies.

Cecil Walsh, 39, of no fixed address, Gerard McElkerney, 38, of Ross Street, in Belfast, and Mark Cavanagh, 32, from Upper Malven Roaddeny in Belfast, all denied the charges.

A police officer today told Craigavon Magistrates Court that when charged, each man had pleaded not guilty, however he said that he believed that he could connect them with the charges.

A defence solicitor, questioned the officer and asked whether it was true that there was no forensic or eyewitness evidence against the accused.

The officer replied that the case was circumstantial.

It was also revealed that the men had complained that they had not been able to properly consult their solicitors as police at Antrim Serious Crime Suite could not guarantee that their conversations would not be recorded.

All three were remanded in custody and will appear again before Lisburn Magistrate's Court via videolink on September 19.

(EF/SP)

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