UDA feud in north Down: two men charged with petrol bomb attack denied bail
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Robert Montgomery and Stephen Daniel McKeag, both 30, appeared before a district judge in Newtownards Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday charged with a series of offences related to a petrol bomb attack on a house in the town on Sunday night.
Rejecting a bail application and remanding the men in custody, judge Mark Hamill said the fact the feud was “ongoing” increased the risk further offences would be committed.
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Hide AdThe accused are alleged to have been part of a gang of around six people who took part in an attack on a home in Moyne Gardens that saw three windows of the house smashed and two petrol bombs thrown inside.
Montgomery, of Queens Square, Newtownards, and McKeag, of Upper Movilla Street in the town, appeared before court via videolink from a police custody suite.
They spoke briefly at the outset of the hearing to confirm they understood the charges facing them.
Montgomery has been charged with arson endangering life with intent; intimidation causing a person to leave a residence or place of occupation; possessing petrol bombs in suspicious circumstances; and throwing a petrol bomb.
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Hide AdMcKeag has been charged with arson endangering life with intent; attempted intimidation causing a person to leave a residence or place of occupation; making a petrol bomb; throwing a petrol bomb; and possession of a class B controlled drug, namely cannabis.
A police officer told the court he could connect the accused to the charges.
McKeag was also charged in relation to other offences that occurred on March 1, namely disorderly behaviour in the Ulster Hospital; assault on a police officer; and possession of class B drug cannabis.
Police outlined a series of concerns around the granting of bail, including the risk of further offences, witness interference and public disorder.
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Hide AdThe investigating officer told the court that Montgomery answered “no comment” throughout police interviews while McKeag denied involvement but failed to provide a “solid alibi”.