Simon Coveney Belfast bomb alert accused Darren Service denied bail

Simon Coveney was notified of the alert by his team shortly after he began speaking

A north Belfast man charged over a security alert at an event attended by the Irish foreign minister has had his latest bail application refused.

Simon Coveney was giving a peace-building talk in Belfast in March when there was a hoax bomb alert.

Police said a van was hijacked, an item placed in the back and a workman threatened and ordered to drive it to the venue Mr Coveney was attending.

Darren Service is accused of driving two gunmen to the hijacking scene.

Mr Service, 41, of Ballysillan Road, has been charged with preparing terrorist acts, hijacking a van and causing a bomb hoax.

A number of previous bail applications were refused.

However, a defence lawyer told Belfast Magistrates Court on Monday that circumstances had changed "which tilts the balance in favour of bail".

He said Mr Service has a young family, a two-year-old daughter and that his partner is "struggling" without him.

Roads around the venue remained closed on Friday afternoon

He said the accused owns three gyms in Belfast, Carrickfergus and Coleraine which will "cease to exist if the applicant remains in custody for much longer".

"There is a letter from an accountancy firm in relation to liabilities it's not meeting. It's really on its uppers to put it mildly," the lawyer said.

"It's not just the applicant who suffers but the employees also."

'Nothing exceptional'

A prosecution lawyer said a letter she received from accountants in relation to the business "isn't quite as dire as suggested".

"It confirms there is an inability to access relevant bank accounts," she said, but suggested "there must be a manager that can operate the business".

The prosecution lawyer also said that while she "didn't wish to appear unsympathetic, most individuals who remain in custody, it has an impact on families, their employment, and their ability to provide for their families.

"To allow somebody to be released on bail when there is an identified risk of reoffending, because of a family situation, it would have to be exceptional.

"There is nothing exceptional about the situation."

She added: "There is a risk of reoffending and risk of interference with the course of justice."

A judge said she did not consider there was sufficient change in the circumstances of the case to counter the concerns of the prosecution.

She refused bail and the case has been listed for further review.