Man charged with possession of Semtex near Irish boder granted bail
Simon O'Donovan, 44, of Sperrin Road in Dublin 12 was granted bail during a hearing at the High Court.
A Dublin museum employee, Simon O'Donovan, 44, of Sperrin Road in Dublin 12, who was previously remanded in custody, has been granted €40,000 (£34,000) bail. He is charged with possession of a Semtex explosive device, described as capable of causing "catastrophic damage and serious loss of life," near the Irish border.
O'Donovan is accused of knowingly possessing an explosive improvised device on July 22, at St Laurence's Road, Chapelizod, Dublin 10.
During a High Court hearing on Tuesday, O'Donovan was granted bail. The court heard he is a member of Saoradh, a dissident-aligned republican group. A Garda (Irish police) Special Detective Unit (SDU) officer objected to bail, expressing concerns that O'Donovan "would continue to engage in operational activities to further the aims of New IRA."
O'Donovan's arrest followed an SDU operation in July, which led to a car being stopped in County Monaghan, near the border. He was previously remanded in custody by the Special Criminal Court in July.
Mr Justice Mícheál P. O'Higgins acknowledged the gardaí's objection to bail but granted it under strict conditions. O'Donovan must personally lodge €10,000 (£8,500) and secure approval from an independent surety with €30,000 (£25,600) available, which will be frozen in their account. The surety is yet to be confirmed and can be endorsed later in the District Court.
His bail conditions include surrendering his passport, remaining at his current address, adhering to a 22:00 – 07:00 local time curfew, providing a 24/7 contact mobile phone number, signing on daily at a local garda station, and having no direct or indirect contact with members of Saoradh or participating in any of their events. He must also stay out of the Dublin 7 area and the Collins Barrack National Museum in the capital, and have no contact with witnesses or co-accused law student Isobella Perrie Sullivan.
SDU Det Sgt Shane Noone reiterated concerns that O'Donovan would commit further offences and interfere with witnesses. He alleged that O'Donovan, who appeared via video link, was "captured on CCTV at 13.33 on 22 July, leaving his place of employment, Collins Barracks Museum, with a distinctive holdall bag in his possession."
The bail hearing revealed O'Donovan had worked at the museum for a decade as a deputy facilities officer. Det Sgt Noone stated that O'Donovan was "tracked" on CCTV cycling to the War Memorial Gardens, where he met his co-accused 20 minutes later. It was alleged he was seen at St Lawrence Road showing Perrie Sullivan the bag's contents, which she then took before driving to Aclint, south of Carrickmacross in County Monaghan, where she was stopped by SDU members. Noone maintained that the bag, previously in O'Donovan's possession, was found in the back of the vehicle.
The court heard that gardaí recovered 394 grams of military-grade Semtex, a timer, a timing switch, and a viable detonator. Noone said that upon arrest, O'Donovan replied, "This is harassment because I am a member of Saoradh," which the SDU officer described as a far-left political group formed by dissident republicans in the Republic and Northern Ireland in 2016, aligned with the New IRA.
It was accepted that O'Donovan had no prior warrant history for failing to appear in court. Noone told the court that the device was transported to and stored at the museum, which "posed a risk to members of the public and tourists, not to mention targets." The det sgt stated O'Donovan showed "blatant disregard," adding, "An unintended detonation would have caused catastrophic damage and serious loss of life or serious injury." The court confirmed the presence of Semtex in the bag seized at Aclint.
Voicing concerns about witness interference, Noone said the SDU had conducted a significant investigation involving numerous avenues and witnesses. O'Donovan's barrister challenged the officer, suggesting he emphasized O'Donovan's political party membership to imply witness intimidation while omitting that O'Donovan denied the offence after being brought to a garda station. The det sgt responded that his political association remained relevant.
Counsel also highlighted that O'Donovan is an only son and the primary carer for elderly, sick parents. Noone conceded he had no concerns regarding a flight risk and accepted that O'Donovan is in a long-term relationship.
O'Donovan will remain in custody with consent to bail until all stipulated funds are provided. He is scheduled to appear before the non-jury Special Criminal Court on October 5.