By Garrett Hargan
A family managed to escape from their home after a petrol bomb was allegedly thrown through their living room window by a neighbour, Derry Magistrate’s Court has heard tody.
Ruairi Norton, 24, of Sunnyside Drive in Maghera, appeared at Derry Magistrate’s Court on Thursday charged with throwing a petrol bomb with intent to damage property on January 31, 2018. He is further charged with making threats to kill police officers and causing criminal damage to a police cell van on the same date.
When police spoke to the injured parties they accused the same injured party of attacking their property on Christmas Day. Therefore, Norton was also charged with causing criminal damage, as well as making threats to kill and damage property on December 25, 2017.
Providing a background to the case, a police officer said that in the early hours of December 25 the injured parties allege that Norton threw something at a Ford Mondeo car parked outside their property before running off. Later that morning one of the injured parties approached the defendant’s mother to speak to her about the incident and the 24-year-old interrupted by threatening to ‘burn them out of their house’ and saying he’d ‘shoot him’.
Nothing else occurred until January 31, a police officer explained, when the injured parties were in their beds asleep and woken by their smoke alarm. They managed to escape but had to be treated for smoke inhalation in hospital.
Police discovered that a petrol bomb had been thrown through the living room window of the property – ‘igniting the room’. A shed at Norton’s property was searched, and a petrol can was seized by police at 3am.
At 4am the 24-year-old emerged from his mother’s house ‘shouting about flashing lights’, police believe he was ‘under the influence of a substance’ and said he was ‘highly aggressive’. He was arrested and while being conveyed to the police station ‘repeatedly spat in the cell van’.
The court was told that Norton made ‘numerous threats to police’, saying ‘I’ll cut you into little pieces’ and ‘I’ll get people to follow and riddle you’, amongst others. He gave a ‘no comment’ interview at the station.
A defence solicitor said all potential civilian witnesses reside in Maghera and put forward a bail address in Castledawson. He suggested conditions such as a curfew, tagging, and exclusion from Maghera could also be put in place to alleviate police concerns.
Deputy District Judge Philip Mateer said they were allegations of a ‘serious nature’. “A family was asleep when a petrol bomb was lobbed through their living room window,” he added.
He said the consequences if the family hadn’t been woken by a smoke alarm are ‘self-evident’. No explanation was provided regarding the petrol can, the judge explained, and he suggested there was a ‘history of animosity between’ the defendant and his neighbours.
Refusing bail due to Norton’s ‘history of offending’ and a ‘lack of confidence that he would abide by bail conditions’, Judge Mateer said there was a ‘strong prima facie case against’ Norton. The 24-year-old was remanded in custody to appear at Magherafelt Court by way of video link on February 28.
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