Man Sentenced Over Larne Explosives Find

A man has been sentenced to six years in prison for having explosives and a firearm in Larne, County Antrim, last year.

25-year-old Niall Lehd, of Seahill Road in the town, admitted two charges of having explosives with intent to endanger life and one charge of having a gun in suspicious circumstances. He was sentenced to three years in jail and three years on licence at Laganside Court on Tuesday 1 July.

Police responded to a report of a loud explosion in the general area of the Seacourt estate in Larne on 27 February 2013 which caused damage to a house.

Following the incident, members of the public reported suspicious activity in the area. The next day, community representatives located a bag near a local factory.

The bag contained metal pipes, ball bearing mix, a deactivated firearm, a magazine, fuse wire, switches, a plastic lunch box, tape, sugar and explosives.

Niall Lehd was arrested close to a cordon that had been set up by police as part of the search operation. His fingerprint was located on the firearm magazine found in the bag. He then admitted having various items that could be used to make an Improvised Explosive Device.

A spokesman for the PSNI Serious Crime Branch said: "These explosive substances were extremely volatile and presented a significant risk to the public. Thanks to the vigilance of the local community, the assistance of community representatives and the professionalism of police and Army bomb disposal officers, this individual's activities were confined to causing damage to a house. The outcome could have been much more serious, had the explosives and firearm not been recovered. Police will continue to work with all those who want to keep our homes, streets and communities safer for everyone. We would encourage anyone with information about dissident terrorist activity to provide information to police."

(IT/MH)