Sinn Fein's Donaldson refused bail

The Sinn Fein administration chief accused of IRA spying was today refused bail.

A judge at the Northern Ireland High Court ruled that allegations that Denis Donaldson, 52, was gathering intelligence could threaten the paramilitary organisation’s ceasefire.

Donaldson was arrested during a police raid on his West Belfast home last month, when more than 1,200 documents were recovered.

Allegations that he was a key member of the Provisional IRA’s intelligence unit were strenuously denied in court.

But Lord Justice Nicholson ruled that there were substantial grounds to believe he could commit offences if he was released from custody.

He said: “An applicant for bail in circumstances such as these must be wholeheartedly committed to the peace process.

“If he collects information or stores information which can only be useful for military purposes he enables others to call off a ceasefire.”