Man sentenced for attempted pipe bomb attack on GAA club

A man has been sentenced to three years for an attempted pipe bomb attack on a Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) club in Belfast.

John Wilson placed two crude pipe bombs on the bonnets of cars parked at training grounds used by East Belfast GAA in August 2020.

The 59-year-old of Lower Braniel Road in Belfast, was convicted in September this year following a trial at Belfast Crown Court.

Handing down the sentence on Wednesday, the judge said Wilson had taken part in the “deliberate use of explosives to cause fear and distress in order to achieve the sectarian aim of stopping the public using the GAA pitches”. Wilson will serve half his sentence in prison and half on licence.

The judge said he did not consider the attack a terrorist offence.

During the short hearing, the court heard part of a witness impact statement submitted by one of the founding members of East Belfast GAA.

He described the attack as “beyond cruel”, saying that he had got engaged two days before and that what should have been a happy time had been “overshadowed by fear and worry”.

A jury found Wilson guilty of the attempted pipe bomb attack and of attempting to intimidate club members from attending or playing sports at the Henry Jones Playing Fields.

Members of the jury deliberated for about four hours over the course of two days before Wilson was found guilty of all counts.

East Belfast GAA club was set up in May 2020 and was the first new GAA club in the east of the city in almost 50 years.

Wilson planted the pipe bombs less than three months after the club was founded, but the devices failed to detonate.

He then made a 999 call to police from a pay phone outside a pharmacy on the Ballygowan Road informing them of pipe bombs in the area.

Wilson was arrested at his home the following day.

At the start of his trial, the prosecution described the attack as “nakedly sectarian”.

During a brief pre-sentence hearing earlier this month, a prosecution lawyer told the judge it was clear the intention of the offences was “to cause terror and fear”.

A defence lawyer said the offences were “wholly out of character” with Wilson’s family and working record.