Loyalist feud: Someone is going to be killed warns judge who also says police didn't have manpower to defend court

Refusing to free 30-year-old Stephen McKeag, District Judge Mark Hamill also declared that “while this feud is ongoing I will not let anybody out on bail!”

“I referred to it a few weeks ago about reading the riot act to these gangsters,” said the judge at Newtownards Magistrates Court, “we have an ongoing feud in this area involving grotesque violence with petrol bomb attacks on houses, burning cars and there’s two things that strike me.

“The sheer insolent arrogance of some of these alleged gangsters marching through Ards shopping centre, masked, mothers and babies ducking in to doorways to get out of the way that’s one.

“The sheer insolent arrogance of masked men congregating outside this courthouse when someone was up for common assault and I’m told by the police we don’t have the manpower to defend your court, that’s two!”

“Someone is going to be killed in this ongoing feud and I will do my best to prevent that. Until I’m told by the police, in terms, we are satisfied this feud is no longer ongoing, I will not let anyone out on bail.”

Appearing at court by videolink from prison or a bail application McKeag, from Upper Movilla Street in the town, is charged with arson of a property on Moyne Gardens with intent to endanger life as well as possessing throwing and making petrol bombs on 26 March.

McKeag, the son of Stephen ‘top gun’ McKeag, a loyalist hitman in Johnny Adair’s C company before he died from a drug overdose in 2000, is also charged with attempted intimidation of the householder and with possessing class B cannabis.

On a separate set of offences, he is also charged with disorderly behaviour at the Ulster Hospital, assaulting police and possessing cannabis on 1 March this year.

McKeag was refused bail when he first appeared alongside another man and defence solicitor Andrew Russell submitted the change of circumstance to justify the fresh application was that despite McKeag refusing the answer police questions at interview, he had now provided police with a detailed statement providing an alibi.

Giving evidence, a detective began to explain the case arose from the “ongoing loyalist feud” and DJ Hamill cut her off, telling the solicitor given that fact “there’s no chance of bail” but Mr Russell submitted the facts had to be fully opened before he could appeal to the High Court.

The detective outlined that according to the female householder, she looked out of her property at about 9pm and saw a gang of around six men outside, claiming thatch recognised McKeag and another man as they “circled” the house.

Just before 10pm, windows upstairs and downstairs at both the front and rear were smashed in what appeared to be a “co-ordinated attack” and that was followed by two petrol bombs being launched at the house.

One landed outside and has caused scorch damage to the outside but one landed inside and it has caused “significant” smoke and fire damage, said the cop adding that a man in the house had to be treated for burns after he picked up burning material which he “threw into the kitchen sink.”

Mr Russell said that according to the defendant’s alibi statement, McKeag was actually stopped at a police checkpoint on the Movilla Road at 21.55 so he had asked police to check their records and their bodywork cameras as that would prove McKeag was not involved.

“The police can readily check their own cctv and body worn cameras and check whether there was a stop and search exercise,” the solicitor suggested.

Refusing bail and remanding McKeag back into custody until 21 June, DJ Hamill said he wanted his warning and comments abut the feud and its dangers “to be conveyed to the High Court.”