Clerk appears on terror info charge

A hospital clerk charged with collecting information likely to be of use to terrorists stood with his back to a magistrate during a court hearing in Belfast today.

Ciaran Cunningham, aged 27, from Grainne House in the New Lodge area of north Belfast, who works at the Royal Victoria Hospital, was charged with collecting information about police officers, soldiers, prison officers and others.

Cunningham also refused to acknowledge that he understood the charges against him, when it was put to him in court.

It is understood that as a transit clerk in the hospital on the Falls Road, Cunningham was responsible for the collection and delivery of medical records between wards.

He also had access to the hospital’s Patient Administration Computer System (PACS).

A detective sergeant told Belfast Magistrates Court that the defendant made no reply when charged with the offences.

However, he said he believed he could connect the man with the charges.

A police inspector applied to have Cunningham remanded back into police custody for no more than three days to be questioned about a matter separate from the charges.

But this was opposed by a lawyer acting for Cunningham.

He said police had not questioned Cunningham about a debriefing document allegedly in his handwriting during five interviews.

The lawyer claimed police failed to apply to a County Court Judge to get an extension to the time they could question Mr Cunningham and were abusing the process to get around this.

The hearing was adjourned after the magistrate said he would rule on the matter later.