Bank robbery charges against Ward are dropped

The man accused of the £26.5m (€33.4m) Northern Bank robbery in Belfast walked free from court today after charges against him were dropped.

Chris Ward, 26, was cleared of one of Britain’s largest heists amid dramatic scenes at Belfast Crown Court.

The Northern Bank employee maintained his innocence throughout the trial after prosecutors branded him the inside man in the raid.

Police blamed it on the IRA but Sinn Féin denied any involvement.

Trial judge Mr Justice McLaughlin said: ``I consider the decision of the Director for Public Prosecutions to be fully justified and proper.

“Given the decision to present no further evidence, I could not arrive at any other verdict and I conclude that Chris Ward is not guilty of the three counts in front of me.”

In the aftermath of the trial collapsing, the Northern Bank issued a statement.

"The Northern Bank robbery was an extremely serious crime carried out by ruthless and dangerous criminals in a violent manner.

"It is disappointing that such a major crime remains unsolved.

"All of those caught up in the robbery were traumatised by what happened and we would ask the press and media to respect their privacy at this time."