McKevitt refused early release from prison following appeal

Michael McKevitt

Dissident Republican Michael McKevitt lost an appeal last week against a High Court judgement refusing him early release from prison.

The 65-year-old, from Beech Park in Blackrock, Co Louth was jailed by the non-jury Special Criminal Court for 20 years in 2003, backdated to 2001, for directing terrorism and for membership of an illegal organization, styling itself as the Real IRA.

With the normal one-quarter remission generally afforded to prisoners, McKevitt is due for release from Portlaoise Prison in July 2016.

McKevitt had applied for a further 8 per cent off his sentence arguing that his participation in structured prison activities, such as art, drama, French, home economics and yoga classes, meant he was less likely to re-offend and was therefore entitled to one-third remission rather than the one-quarter generally afforded to prisoners.

The High Court ruled last year that the Minister for Justice was entitled to refuse McKevitt’s application for one-third remission and he sought to appeal that decision last month.

In a written judgment dismissing his appeal, Ms Justice Mary Irvine said the Minister was entitled “not to close her mind to other relevant and possibly more dominant” material concerning McKevitt’s likelihood to re-offend, including garda advice.

Source: The Irish Times.

Four arrested for suspected dissident Republican activity

Four men remain in custody this morning following their arrest yesterday in relation to dissident republican activity.

Gardaí carried out more than 20 searches in three counties, including Louth, yesterday, with reports suggesting that a leading figure in the Republican movement is amongst those who have been detained.

The arrests come as Gardaí step up their anti-terrorism investigations ahead of the visit of Prince Charles to Ireland next week.

Three of the men arrested are in the 20s, while the other is in his 60s.

The four men arrested have suspected links to the Real IRA and were detained in Louth and Wexford.

The army bomb disposal team was called in to make safe the scenes in Courtown, Co Wexford and an unspecified location north of Dundalk.

The quartet are being held in connection with a number of alleged offences including directing terrorism, membership of an unlawful organisation and possession of explosives as bomb components were found.

McKevitt loses prison release bid

Michael McKevitt

Michael McKevitt, who is serving a 20-year sentence for directing terrorism and membership of the Real IRA, has failed in his bid to be released from prison immediately.

McKevitt, from Beech Park in Blackrock, claimed that his participation in structured prison activities entitled him to enhanced one third remission of his prison sentence.

He claimed he was entitled to such remission because he had participated in activities including computer courses, speech and drama, art, French, yoga and an Open University course in creative writing.

Minister for Justice Frances Fitzgerald said she was entitled to refuse him remission taking into account garda views and other matters relating to his risk of reoffending.

Mr Justice Peter Kelly ruled yesterday that participation in structured activities in prison had as its object a reduction in the likelihood of reoffending but he said the minister must be satisfied such an object had been achieved.

Simply because a prisoner engaged in structured activities, he said, that did not mean a reduction in the likelihood of reoffending had automatically been achieved.

He said the minister was entitled to take into account all of the matters before her.

And he said even if one excluded the evidence of gardaí then there was an abundance of other material allowing the minister to reach her decision to refuse to grant him enhanced remission.

He refused to quash her decision and rejected McKevitt’s application.

Source: RTÉ News