Bomber Marian Price may disrupt Queen’s visit, court is told
Old Bailey bomber Marian Price was back behind bars last night after a detective told a court he believed she may attempt to disrupt the Queen’s visit to the Republic this week.
Price (57) was granted bail when she appeared in court in Londonderry on a single charge of encouraging support for an illegal organisation, but was immediately rearrested after Secretary of State Owen Paterson revoked her release from prison on licence.
Price, from Stockman’s Avenue in Belfast, denies the charge.
Price, secretary for the 32 County Sovereignty Movement, was charged after she held a piece of paper from which a masked man read a statement at a republican commemoration in Derry City Cemetery on Easter Sunday.
A PSNI detective sergeant told the heavily-guarded magistrates court police opposed bail on the grounds that she would abscond.
He added: “The 32 County Sovereignty Movement have openly said they will carry out acts to disrupt events occurring in the near future like the Royal visit, and that may mean future public order events which the defendant might involve herself in.”
The officer said that at the commemoration a masked man who claimed to represent the Real IRA read a statement in which he threatened assassination against any nationalist or republican seen as a traitor.
“He also made references about the continuation of a military campaign,” he added. The officer said that Price denied that she knew the contents of the sheet of paper until it was read out. But he argued that she admitted attending this yearly event in 2009 and 2010, where similar statements had been read out, so she would have known the tone of the content.
Defence solicitor Peter Corrigan said his client held the paper because it was windy and she did not want to make a scene when approached in the cemetery.
He said the Secretary of State’s decision to revoke Price’s licence drove “a horse and carriage through the presumption of innocence”.
Mr Paterson sent her back to prison after advice from the Parole Commissioners that the risk of serious harm posed by her had increased significantly. Price had been freed on licence from a life term for the IRA bombing of the Old Bailey in London in 1973.
District Judge Barney McElhome released Price on her own bail of £5,000 plus two sureties of £10,000 each and ordered her to surrender her passport to the PSNI, reside at her home in Belfast and not to take part in attend or participate in any meeting which may be attended by members of a prescribed organisation.
But because her licence was revoked Price was remanded back in custody to appear back in court on June 9 via video-link.
A group of around 50 supporters held placards calling for her release and shouted “SS RUC” while trying to block the police car that took Price away from Bishop Street courthouse.
