Charges withdrawn in Real IRA membership case

Charges of Real IRA membership against four Northern Ireland men, including missing Armagh man Garreth O' Connor, were withdrawn by the State at the Special Criminal Court in Dublin today.

O' Connor went missing in May last year while on his way from his home in Armagh City to Dundalk Garda Station to sign on as part of his bail conditions and the PSNI have since launched a murder investigation.

The trial of the other three accused proceeded in his absence but was aborted last month after it emerged that original documents in the case had been ``mislaid.'' The three accused were then remanded on bail until today.

Today prosecuting counsel Mr George Birmingham SC told the court: "My instructions are to enter a nolle prosequi in respect of all four accused." The three accused, Cathal Loughran, Dominic Dynes and Aidan Grew then walked free from the court.

All four men were originally arrested near the border in Co Monaghan in November 2002 during garda investigations into Real IRA activities. They were subsequently charged with membership of an illegal organisation styling itself the Irish Republican Army, otherwise Oglaigh na hEireann, otherwise the IRA on November 8, 2002.

The four men are Garreth O' Connor, (aged 24), of Bawnbrook Hill, Armagh City; Cathal Loughran, (aged 27), of Friary Road, Clady, Co Armagh; Dominic Dynes, (aged 32), of St Matthew's Estate, Keady, Co Armagh and Aidan Grew, (aged 47), of Benburb St Blackwatertown, Co Armagh.