John Caldwell shooting: Man accused over police shooting 'used fake name'

Det Ch Insp John Caldwell was critically injured but survived the shooting

A man jointly accused of trying to murder a senior police officer used a false name to register a car linked to the shooting, a court has heard.

Jonathan McGinty is one of seven men accused of the attempted murder of Det Ch Insp John Caldwell last February.

The officer was shot in front of his young son in Omagh, County Tyrone.

A defence lawyer argued the allegations relating to Mr McGinty, of St Julians Downs in Omagh, were so weak that he had no case to answer.

The accused is a 29-year-old car trader who was allegedly involved in "flipping cars", according to his defence team.

During a bail application at the High Court in Belfast, the prosecution claimed Mr McGinty used the falsely-registered Mercedes saloon car to give a lift to one of his co-accused on the day of the shooting.

The court also heard that when questioned by police, Mr McGinty initially claimed he did not have a mobile phone.

However, a mobile phone was later found inside a backpack in his kitchen and, in a subsequent search, a second phone was discovered hidden under his mattress.

Mr McGinty has refused to provide the PIN codes for either phone, but the court heard one of his phones was inactive between 15:42 GMT and 21:03 GMT on the day of the attack.

'Clean-up vehicles'

Det Ch Insp Caldwell was shot at about 20:00 GMT on 22 February 2023, shortly after he had finished coaching a youth football team.

Two men dressed in dark, waterproof clothing approached him as he loaded footballs into the boot of his car and opened fire, shooting him repeatedly.

The gunmen made their getaway in a Ford Fiesta car, which was discovered on fire later that night.

The court heard that two other cars - a second Fiesta and a Mercedes - were allegedly part of the conspiracy to kill the detective.

Det Ch Insp Caldwell was shot after coaching young footballers at the Youth Sport complex in Omagh

"In the crudest terms they were the clean-up vehicles," a prosecution barrister told the High Court.

She claimed Mr McGinty registered the Mercedes C Class to his home address using a false name and brought it into Omagh on 1 February.

In early March, the car was swapped for a van, professionally cleaned and then sold on, the court heard.

Forensic examinations carried out on the vehicle after the valeting found one indicative particle of potential gun cartridge discharge residue.

Prosecutors have claimed, based on CCTV footage, that on the day of the shooting Mr McGinty drove the Mercedes to collect 45-year-old co-accused Gavin Coyle at his home in Killybrack Mews, Omagh.

Less than a quarter of an hour after the attack, the same vehicle allegedly arrived at the address of another defendant, 72-year-old James Ivor McLean, at Deverney Park, Omagh.

An unidentified witness told police two masked men wearing waterproof suits got out and ran towards a back garden.

A short time later the Mercedes left again, followed immediately by a white transit van.

Gun 'used in previous attacks'

Checks have established a total of six C Class saloons were present in the Omagh area on the day of the shooting.

However, the judge was told the other five either lacked the same distinctive features or had been eliminated from inquiries for other reasons.

Opposing bail, the prosecutor confirmed that the guns used in the attack have not been recovered.

"One of the weapons in this case was used previously in relation to shootings on properties," she added.

In addition to the attempted murder charge, Mr McGinty faces a further charge of preparation of terrorist acts.

'A house built on sand'

But his defence barrister Karl McGuckin insisted the prosecution was based on his client's alleged association with other suspects.

He argued it was almost impossible to identify the type of vehicle in some of the CCTV clips.

"The prosecution is seeking to use other actors and the fact that (McGinty) knows them as a means of discolouring this and making it look more suspicious than it is," Mr McGuckin said.

"We are being asked to build a house in the sand."

When asked about claims that Mr McGinty registered the Mercedes in a fake name, he responded: "My understanding is that he's involved in flipping cars and in doing that saves on tax.

"It isn't the crime of the century."

The judge adjourned the bail application, saying he wanted to study the footage and expert reports before giving a decision.