Bail for pair facing prosecution over theft of car and wheelchair belonging to organ donation campaigner Daithi Mac Gabhann

Brandon O’Neill, 23, and Jolene Cush, 43, have been in custody since the Skoda Kodiaq was stolen and then located at a west Belfast shopping centre in December last year.

Police claim the vehicle was driven at officers during attempts to detain the pair and their co-accused, 35-year-old Dearbhla Conlon.

O’Neill, of Glenalina Gardens, and Cush, from New Barnsley Parade - both in Belfast - mounted applications for bail at the city’s Magistrates Court today.

Indications were given that their release would not be opposed on strict conditions.

District Judge Anne Marshall granted bail to Cush under orders to keep out of the west Belfast area.

O’Neill remains in custody at this stage, however, until an address approved by police is obtained.

The stolen vehicle, which was also laden with Christmas presents at the time, was taken from the high-profile campaigning family’s west Belfast home on December 17.

It was recovered later that day after being blocked in at the Kennedy Centre on the Falls Road.

Footage of the incident circulated on social media appeared to show the driver attempting to leave the scene by mounting a nearby grass embankment.

O’Neill, Cush and Conlon were arrested at the scene and subsequently charged with multiple counts of aggravated vehicle taking causing damage to other cars.

Police then found nine-year-old Daithi’s wheelchair in a house where the three accused were said to have been living together.

The little boy, who is waiting on a life-saving heart transplant, has campaigned with his parents to raise public awareness about organ donations.

In 2023, Daithi’s Law was passed in his honour and introduced the opt-out system for organ donation in Northern Ireland.

Under the landmark legislation aimed at saving lives, most adults are now considered as potential donors.

Cush faces two further counts of handling stolen goods - namely Daithi’s wheelchair and a Playstation 5 - along with fraud by false representation in attempting to sell the games console.

She had allegedly attempted to sell the games console at a CEX store in the shopping centre just before it was recovered from the stolen car, a previous court heard.

O’Neill is also charged with driving without a licence and having no insurance.

Police alleged he was behind the wheel of the car and drove at officers, colliding with other vehicles, amid efforts to arrest the three suspects.

During interviews Conlon, of Glenalina Gardens in Belfast, claimed to have little memory of the events due to taking drugs and alcohol but denied involvement in the theft.

She was previously granted bail to live under curfew at an address outside the city.