'Pitiful and pathetic': Four year jail term given to dissident Gavin Coyle over near-fatal bomb plott savaged - paramilitary had previous weapons convictions

Gavin Coyle helped fellow paramilitaries try to kill the off-duty policeman in 2008 by providing a car used in the attack (which was claimed by the Real IRA).

The victim was left bloodied and wounded but alive after a bomb detonated under his vehicle in the Tyrone border village of Spamount.

A bystander pulled him from the burning car – an act which a witness at the time said "probably saved the officer's life".

Coyle is aged 46 and was living at Killybrack Mews in Omagh at the time of the 2008 murder bid (but his most recent address is Mullaghmore Drive in the town).

He had been charged with attempted murder and causing an explosion over the 2008 bombing, but was acquitted of those counts.

However, he admitted providing property for the purpose of terrorism and belonging to an outlawed terror group (the IRA) between May 1, 2007 and May 13, 2008.

His sentence for this today? Four years in jail, plus two on licence.

Coyle has been in court before.

In 2014 he pleaded guilty to possessing explosive substances, possessing assault rifles and ammunition, and belonging to a proscribed organisation.

He got a five year jail term for that, plus five years on licence, although he was out by April 2016 after less than half his prison term had elapsed – most likely due to time served on remand.

Speaking of the sentence handed down to Coyle over the 2008 plot today, veteran barrister Jim Allister KC said it was "pitifully low and no deterrent to those involved in terrorism".

​The year after he was freed from his earlier terror sentence in 2016, Coyle had his licence revoked and was returned to jail after being accused of more crimes.

He was alleged to have threatened to kill a man, assaulted him, and tried to blackmail money out of him.

A court later ruled that Coyle's licence had been improperly revoked, and he went on to be acquitted of these charges in 2019.

Reacting to his sentence on Friday for the 2008 bomb plot, TUV leader Jim Allister said: “To see a convicted terrorist, who admitted IRA membership and who has previous terrorist convictions, sentenced to a mere 4 years for his part in this murderous attack, which caused permanent disfiguring injuries, is pathetic.

“I am calling on the DPP to refer this sentence to the Court of Appeal as being unduly lenient.

“Our courts must get real and hand out sentences to both fit the crime and provide strong deterrence to others.

"This sentence falls woefully short of what is required.”

During the sentencing hearing on Friday, the court heard that while Coyle supplied his car in 2008, he did not know the precise act that was to be carried out.

“The windows of the car shattered, and various parts of the vehicle became dislodged, somehow he managed to take control of the vehicle and bring it to a halt,” Judge Patricia Smyth told Belfast Crown Court.

“He [the victim] recalled looking down and seeing his jeans were ripped, there was blood everywhere.

“He managed to unbuckle his seatbelt and exit the car, he began making his way along the road shouting for help … it was clear that he was in a lot of pain.

"He collapsed on the side of the road as a result of his injuries which were serious and substantial.”

The vehicle went on to explode.

The court heard stress wrecked the officer’s personal life, and that his career has spiralled downwards.

The officer was described as having been left with permanent disfiguring injuries, mental ill health, and at one point lost his home.

Reacting outside court was detective inspector Hazel Miller of the PSNI's major investigation team.

"No-one should ever have to experience such a cruel ordeal, the lasting impact of which isn't just felt by the victim, but by family and loved ones too," she said.

"This was a cowardly, calculated and cold-blooded attack, carried out with one aim: to take the life of a police officer.

"Gavin Coyle accepts that he was a member of the IRA and that he provided his car to others knowing it would be used for the purpose of terrorism.

"Our officers are committed to keeping people safe.

"Their dedication, and indeed the actions of those members of the public who ran to help, are in stark contrast to those intent on harming and killing.

"Today, Coyle has been held accountable for his role in this nightmarish attack.

"We will continue to robustly investigate and disrupt the criminal and terrorist activities of those who bring violence to our doorsteps.”

The News Letter has been leading the way over the years in reporting on the lax sentences – often of a couple of years in jail and sometimes none at all – handed down to dissident paramilitaries.