Derry: Two men jailed over Christmas snowman bomber mural

The men were sentenced at Londonderry Magistrates' Court on Tuesday

Two men have been jailed after painting a window mural of a snowman pressing a bomb detonator in Londonderry.

The Christmas-themed display appeared at the headquarters of the political party Saoradh last December.

It is considered by the police to be linked to the dissident republican group the New IRA.

Derry men William McDonnell, 37, from Balbane Pass, and Jordan Devine, 22, of Bishop Street, appeared at Londonderry Magistrates' Court on Tuesday.

They were charged with possessing items leading to suspicion that they were members or supporters of a banned organisation.

The court heard that both men had been seen painting the mural at Junior McDaid House shortly before Christmas last year.

Video footage of the men outside the premises was shown as evidence.

A prosecution barrister told the court that there were two images on a phone belonging to Devine, one of the mural itself and another of the two defendants standing beside it.

Sentencing the men, the judge said the mural was painted just days after the attempted murder of two police officers in Strabane, County Tyrone.

At the time the police believed that a command wire was used in that attack which they linked to the New IRA.

McDonnell was jailed for four months, while Devine will serve three months in prison.

Speaking after the sentencing, Det Insp Dane welcomed the outcome and acknowledged the work of local officers in Derry City and Strabane.

"This mural was incredibly distasteful, appearing just days after a sickening attempted murder attack on our colleagues in Strabane," said the senior officer.

"Our investigation illustrates our commitment to bringing those determined to harm our community before the court."