Man Accused Of Lyra McKee Murder “No Longer Saoradh Member”
December 21, 2022The man accused of murdering queer journalist Lyra McKee said he is no longer associated with the dissident republican political party, Saoradh.
Peter Gearóid Cavanagh, 34, of Elmwood Terrace, Londonderry is charged with murdering Ms. McKee on April 8, 2019. He is also charged with further offences relating to rioting on the night Lyra was shot dead.
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At the High Court in Belfast on Wednesday, an application to vary Mr. Cavanagh's bail terms was dismissed, according to the BBC. He was seeking to have an electronic tag removed and the curfew he is subject to lifted.
The court was told police had “significant concerns” about variations to Mr. Cavanagh's bail conditions. Opposing the application, a prosecution barrister said police thought Mr. Cavanagh was “still involved in dissident republican activity and still linked to Saoradh.”
Police believe it is the political wing of the New IRA.
The barrister told the Lady Chief Justice it was alleged Mr. Cavanagh had escorted the gunman to the corner where he had fired from on the night Ms. McKee was killed and had also thrown petrol bombs. He also said the shooting had been claimed by the New IRA and the weapon used had subsequently been recovered. The court was told it has been forensically linked to the murder as well as four other shootings.
Mr. Cavanagh had been involved in protests both this year and in 2021, the court heard.
A defense lawyer told the court his client would deny any involvement in protests. Mr. Cavanagh, he said, “was no longer a member of Saoradh” and no longer associated with the organization.
The court heard that Mr. Cavanagh had abided by his bail conditions and had only been charged in September 2021. The bail conditions were impacting on his family life, the court was told.
Refusing the bail variation, Dame Siobhan Keegan said she has been told a committal hearing in the case would go ahead in January 2023. She told the court she did not see any reason to vary Mr. Cavanagh's bail and said the current conditions are “proportionate.”
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