Dissident murder accused denied bail to see his newborn granddaughter

Hugh Black, 51, is accused of being a gunman in the shooting of Danny McClean in north Belfast back in February 2021.

The painter and decorator was also allegedly involved in a separate bid to assassinate taxi driver Sean O’Reilly last year.

Black, of Rosehead in the city, is currently remanded in custody on charges of murder and attempted murder.

Refusing to grant him compassionate bail, a judge at Belfast Magistrates’ Court ruled that the application had no merit.

Police believe both gun attacks were carried out by dissident republican faction Oglaigh na hEireann (ONH) as part of an internal conflict.

Mr McClean, 54, was shot at least four times in the head and body as he sat in a car parked on the Cliftonville Road.

CCTV footage from the area showed a figure with a distinctive walking style emerge from a Vauxhall Vectra, jog across to the victim’s Audi Q2 and open fire, previous courts heard. Expert gait analysis provides "moderate support” for claims that Black was the gunman, according to the prosecution.

A partial vehicle registration plate match with a Vectra car registered to the defendant also forms part of the case against him.

Black was initially arrested in the aftermath of the shooting but then released unconditionally at that stage.

Detectives have now linked him to the separate attempt on the life of Mr O’Reilly. Two gunmen targeted the 49-year-old at a cab firm on Bell Steel Manor, west Belfast on February 23, 2025.

One of the pair opened fire while he was in his Skoda Octavia taxi, leaving him seriously injured from bullet wounds to his shoulder blade and collar bone.

An accomplice is believed to have brandished a faulty second weapon which jammed without firing. Both pistols were discovered stashed in nearby hedges following the attack.

Ballistic examinations confirmed one of the guns had also been used to murder Mr McClean four years earlier.

Based on disputed CCTV evidence, police claim the defendant was collected and acted as a look-out or “spotter” in the bid to kill Mr O’Reilly.

Black denies any involvement in either shooting, with his lawyers insisting he has not been linked by any forensic evidence or eye-witness accounts.

Held in custody since May last year, he sought temporary release at the weekend on compassionate grounds.

Defence barrister John Mackell told the court: “It is simply to allow him to meet his grandchild for the first time.”

Opposing the application, an investigating detective stressed he is facing prosecution for two separate shootings over a four-year period.

“The baby was born a month ago, it is not an urgent requirement and there is no reason for Mr Black to leave prison for this,” he said.

Deputy District Judge Gerard Trainor refused the accused’s request to be released from custody and adjourned the case until March 11.

He ruled: “It is without merit. It doesn’t even begin to approach the threshold required for compassionate bail.”