A man charged with burgling local business premises who is also wanted for questioning in the Republic of Ireland for similar offences has been refused bail, at Derry Magistrate’s Court.
John Patrick McGilloway, 35, C/O Magilligan Prison, is charged with burgling the Wolf Bar and Grill at Queens Quay on September 8 of last year.
He is further charged with burgling two businesses at Northside Shopping centre – namely Medicare and Bareknuckle Barbershop – on September.
And is accused of various driving offences on May 27 including dangerous driving, having no insurance and failing to remain at the scene of an accident.
The court heard these offences were committed while McGilloway was on license.
Objecting to bail, a police officer DNA evidence has linked him to some of the offences and identification evidence links him to the burglary at Queens Quay.
He also said that An Garda Síochána would like to speak to the 35-year-old in relation to two burglaries and a theft in Donegal last year.
Police objected due to a risk of reoffending and the PSNI officer said McGilloway had another person ‘looking out for him’ when he was evading detection.
He also cited a history of arrest warrants and of breaching bail.
The officer said McGilloway targeted commercial premises and he had a ‘strong belief’ the 35-year-old would reoffend. In his view no bail conditions would have made the defendant a suitable candidate for bail.
Defence solicitor Paddy MacDermott said that as the case was based on DNA evidence it would be ‘pointless for (McGilloway) to contact witnesses’.
He told the court that his client has been in custody for 7-8 months and his period on license is due to expire in April.
Mr MacDermott submitted that the defendant had recently been granted bail which passed without incident showing he can ‘repay the trust of the court’.
The court was told that McGilloway has ‘spent a lot of his life in custody’ and suggested granting bail to an address that had been approved by police.
Refusing bail, Deputy District Judge Laura Ievers said she struggled to think of any bail conditions which would allay the concerns of the court.
She said a total of 247 convictions mentioned on his charge sheet with a lot of those for offences of dishonesty added to those fears.
The judge said she hope there would be considerable progress made in the cases when McGilloway next appears on April 26.
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