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15/01/2014
Man Jailed In Ronan Kerr Investigation
A 36-year-old man from Omagh, County Tyrone, has been jailed for 10 years by detectives investigating the murder of PSNI Constable Ronan Kerr.
A booby-trap car bomb set by dissident republicans killed Constable Kerr outside his home in Omagh in April 2011.
The senior PSNI officer in charge of the police strategy to combat dissident republican activity today welcomed the sentencing of Gavin Coyle, of Culmore Road.
Mr Coyle had admitted possessing guns and explosives with intent to endanger life and being a member of the IRA.
Five years of his sentence will be in custody, with the remainder on licence.
The arms and explosives, which included assault rifles and Semtex, were uncovered by detectives from Serious Crime Branch in premises at Mountjoy Road, Coalisland three days after the murder of Constable Ronan Kerr.
Assistant Chief Constable for Crime Operations, Drew Harris, said: "The Mountjoy Road arms find is one of the biggest in recent years. On one very important level, it has saved lives and significantly disrupted a terrorist group. On another, more strategic, level, it forms part of the police investigation into a series of linked incidents which include Constable Kerr's murder in Omagh on 2 April 2011.
"Although we have yet to bring charges for Ronan's murder, this investigation, which is the largest in the PSNI's history, is far from over. Detectives in Serious Crime Branch have linked a total of 17 incidents to the same network of individuals and terrorist groupings. These include attempts to murder other police officers, a bomb attack, arms finds and armed robberies.
"We have made progress and we believe there is potential to bring other individuals before the courts. But we are not complacent. We recognise the considerable challenges remaining in this lengthy and complicated investigation.
"We will continue to pursue a comprehensive forensic strategy through all the strands of these linked incidents to ensure we maximise their investigative potential."
(IT/JP)
A booby-trap car bomb set by dissident republicans killed Constable Kerr outside his home in Omagh in April 2011.
The senior PSNI officer in charge of the police strategy to combat dissident republican activity today welcomed the sentencing of Gavin Coyle, of Culmore Road.
Mr Coyle had admitted possessing guns and explosives with intent to endanger life and being a member of the IRA.
Five years of his sentence will be in custody, with the remainder on licence.
The arms and explosives, which included assault rifles and Semtex, were uncovered by detectives from Serious Crime Branch in premises at Mountjoy Road, Coalisland three days after the murder of Constable Ronan Kerr.
Assistant Chief Constable for Crime Operations, Drew Harris, said: "The Mountjoy Road arms find is one of the biggest in recent years. On one very important level, it has saved lives and significantly disrupted a terrorist group. On another, more strategic, level, it forms part of the police investigation into a series of linked incidents which include Constable Kerr's murder in Omagh on 2 April 2011.
"Although we have yet to bring charges for Ronan's murder, this investigation, which is the largest in the PSNI's history, is far from over. Detectives in Serious Crime Branch have linked a total of 17 incidents to the same network of individuals and terrorist groupings. These include attempts to murder other police officers, a bomb attack, arms finds and armed robberies.
"We have made progress and we believe there is potential to bring other individuals before the courts. But we are not complacent. We recognise the considerable challenges remaining in this lengthy and complicated investigation.
"We will continue to pursue a comprehensive forensic strategy through all the strands of these linked incidents to ensure we maximise their investigative potential."
(IT/JP)
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