Pair jailed over camera in driveway of ex-policeman’s house

Two men who installed a wildlife camera in the driveway of a retired police officer’s house have been jailed for a total of 34 years.

Damian Duffy, 56, from Westclare Court in Dungannon, and 31-year-old Shea Reynolds from Kilwilkie Road, in Lurgan, were previously convicted of six joint offences dating between 3 and 21 September 2016.

Sentencing , Judge Patricia Smyth described both men as “dangerous”.

She said placing the camera in the driveway of a retired police officer’s home could only have have been “to monitor his movements with a view to targeting him in a future attack upon his life”.

Duffy was given 12 years and six months in prison with an extended licence period of five years.

Reynolds was sentenced to 11 years and six month in prison with an extended licence period of five years.

Both men were also made the subject of the Terrorist Notification Act for a 30-year period.

Mrs Justice Smyth, who presided over the non-jury trial at Belfast Crown Court, previously found Duffy and Reynolds guilty of two counts of the preparation of terrorist acts, two counts of possessing articles for use in terrorism and two counts of attempting to collect or make records of information likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism.

It was the defendants’ case that the camera was used for the collecting of information.

However Judge Smyth said, “viewed holistically”, the offending went beyond that.

She said the “specific targeting” of a retired police officer was “a very grave matter”.

“This involved a well-researched plan to obtain information to enable an attack upon his life,” she said.

“The attempt to obtain that information was only foiled by the police.”

The judge said “considerable” planning had gone into the defendants’ offending.

She described the wildlife camera that they used as a “simple yet effective means of monitoring” the retired police officer’s movements.

Mrs Justice Smyth noted that this was not a case of attempted murder because a number of additional acts were needed before the intended harm could be completed.

The court heard prior to installing the camera in the retired police officer’s driveway, Duffy and Reynolds had placed the device on the Annaghone Road in Coalisland.

It also heard there was evidence to suggest there were others potentially connected to Duffy and Reynolds’ offending.

Mrs Justice Smyth said: “I accept they were not acting as lone wolves, although neither was charged with membership of an organisation.”

Handing both men their sentences, Mrs Justice Smyth noted that Mr Duffy had been previously convicted of terrorism offences, which was a relevant consideration.

She also noted that neither defendant had accepted responsibility and “no remorse” had been shown.

The court heard Reynolds has already served “a long period on remand”.