The prosecutor said that when a previous warrant was issued for his arrest, police found him hiding in the attic of a house in a bid to avoid detection
A 45-year old man facing trial for attempting to rob a shop in north Belfast was granted bail today.
One of the bail conditions imposed upon Dean Thomas Nesbitt was a ban on him being within 400 metres of the shop he is accused of targeting.
From Jackson Court in Ballynure, Nesbitt attended his bail hearing at Belfast Crown Court via a videolink with HMP Maghaberry, where he has spent 150 days on remand.
He is due to stand trial at the end of January 2026 on charges of attempting to rob a sales assistant at Vivo on the Crumlin Road of a sum of money from the till and of possessing an offensive weapon with intent to commit robbery on March 9, 2022.
The bail application was opposed by the Crown, who raised several police objections to Nesbitt’s release.
Crown barrister James Johnston told Judge Gordon Kerr KC these concerns included risks of further offending and absconding.
The prosecutor said that when a previous warrant was issued for his arrest, police found him hiding in the attic of a house in a bid to avoid detection.
Highlighting a “very lengthy delay in this case”, defence barrister Joe Brolly said his client’s mother was willing to offer her address in rural Co Antrim.
Saying that she has “co-operated with police in the past” regarding her son’s bail and that she has lodged a £1,000 cash surety, Mr Brolly said his client’s mother was “very keen to have her son with her”.
He added that if Nesbitt breached his bail in any way, she has “made it clear” that she will “immediately” contact the court.
Judge Kerr agreed to release Nesbitt on bail and imposed several conditions including an 8pm to 7am curfew.
Nesbitt was also banned from going within 400 meters of the Vivo store and of contacting any of its staff and customers.
For all the latest news, visit the Belfast Live homepage here and sign up to our daily newsletter here
#Man #accused #robbing #shop #banned #contacting #staff #customers #bailed
