IRA accused had "republican posters", trial hears

A 55-year-old mechanic from Castleblayney, County Monaghan, is standing trial at the Special Criminal Court on a charge of membership of an unlawful organisation styling itself as the Irish Republican Army. James Joseph Cassidy of Tullycollive has pleaded not guilty to the allegation relating to September 21, 2016. During evidence, Detective Sergeant Padraig Boyce told the court that republican posters were discovered in a television unit during a search of the accused's premises. The posters carried a slogan referencing the Police Service of Northern Ireland and a website address for Republican Unity. Under cross-examination, the detective agreed that Republican Unity is not a proscribed organisation. A black metal pipe approximately 40 centimetres long, featuring drilled holes, was also recovered from a shed on the property. Detective Inspector William Hanrahan testified he had previously encountered similar tubing in relation to other IRA operations, describing it as a booster tube. The trial continues before Mr Justice Tony Hunt and two other judges.