Chef linked to firearms discovery is granted bail

Gerard Martin McClory (47) has denied any knowledge of either the shotgun or a quantity of ammunition which were seized during a search of his Gartree Place.

The search was conducted on an unrelated matter linked to the alleged blackmailing of a man in Lisburn in February of this year.

rown barrister Kate McKay revealed that in the unrelated blackmail matter, two men threatened a third man and that during the incident, the threatened man was given a piece of paper which bore a mobile phone number he was told to ring when he raised the money sought from him.

The piece of paper in question was a Paypoint receipt for a £5 top-up for a mobile which was purchased in a shop in Andersonstown. When the paper was analysed, it was found to bear McClory’s fingerprint.

Mrs McKay said that as a result of the blackmail incident, police carried out a number of searches - including McClory’s home. During the search, a number of items were found in a cupboard of McClory’s ensuite bathroom.

Items located included a sawn-off shotgun, shotgun cartridges and ammunition for a handgun. The items were located in a bag with a bag.

Mrs McKay said that present during the search was McClory and a lodger who lives in the same house. She also said McClory came before the court with a “historic” criminal record.

She also revealed that as ammunition for a handgun was found, minus the handgun, police “are concerned there is a further firearm outstanding”,

The High Court heard McClory, who works as a chef in a cafe in west Belfast, has denied knowledge of any of the items found in his bathroom.

Defence barrister Sean Mullan said that when McClory was asked to explain his fingerprints on the receipt, he said he had been drinking in a local pub, went to the shop and was asked when he was there to buy a £5 top-up for a mobile.

He also made the case that there had been a party in the house prior to the items being found and that McClory’s family had “raised concerns” about both the parties and the lodger.

After setting out McClory’s case, Mr Justice O’Hara said that if was true then McClory was “an innocent man who has been spectacularly unlucky on two occasions.”

Branding the charges faced by McClory as “serious and significant”, Mr Justice O’Hara granted bail and imposed a number of conditons. These included adhering to a 10pm to 8am curfew, reporting to police three times a week and wearing a tag.