Bail was denied to a 45-year-old man charged with two counts of arson
Police believe a “network” of people may be responsible for a spate of arson attacks on 5G masts in Belfast, the High Court has heard.
That is according to a prosecutor who opposed bail for a man charged with two counts of arson at 5G masts in west Belfast.
Michael Patrick Clarke, a 45-year-old with an address listed as Monagh Road in Belfast, was denied bail at the High Court on Monday amid what a judge described as a “very serious risk of reoffending”.
Opposing bail, prosecution solicitor Gosia Hackiewicz said: “There is a risk of reoffending. There have been 23 incidents of 5G mast arson attacks reported to police in west Belfast since 2023. There has been an escalation in the frequency of these attacks, with nine masts having been targeted by arson in this area since June this year.
“The initial indication is that the MO of this attack appears to be similar to that observed at the scene of the other previous attacks.”
She said the masts had been “prised open” with an accelerant or solid fuel used for ignition.
“It remains the police assessment that these attacks are not the work of a single individual but are being carried out by a number of individuals as part of a network, or possibly acting independently but united by shared, conspiracy driven beliefs,” she said.
Police believe social media or “some chatrooms” may be used.
She also told the court that, with a police investigation ongoing, there are “concerns that any further evidence sought could be tampered with and destroyed by the applicant or his associates, in order to obstruct the police investigation”.
The court also heard that a £4 million cost estimate for the damage caused by the arson attacks is “conservative” and could be higher.
Defence solicitor Turlough Madden, meanwhile, said the offences Mr Clarke has been charged with date back “over two years ago”.
He told the court the prosecution’s case against him is “considerably weak”.
He said the only real “grounded out” opposition to bail being the risk of reoffending, but said his client could be “managed in the community”.
“We would respectfully submit that there are safeguards and conditions that are available to the court – tags, curfews, make sure that he’s in at a certain time of the night, things of that nature.”
The judge, however, denied the bail application.
“The central charges which are before this court and which appear to form the primary objection to bail are two counts of arson of 5G mobile phone masts which are alleged to have taken place in June 2023.
“The applicant for bail was not connected or arrested for suspicion of involvement in those attacks until September of this year, so there’s a gap of two years and three months. Following his arrest, searches were carried out and I have been informed that those searches have revealed a substantial body of material which are currently the subject of examination, and which appear to be providing some emerging additional evidence – albeit what it will amount to is unclear.
“What is clear to me is that even on the existing evidence there is a case for the applicant to answer. The evidence is still being gathered and may increase.”
He said the offences have “some degree of notoriety”. The judge continued: “It is clear to me there is a very serious risk of reoffending if the applicant was admitted to bail”.
He added: “In my view it is too early for the applicant to be considered a suitable candidate for bail while investigations are ongoing. It may be that in due course as evidence crystalised that the application for bail might be revisited.”
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