Irish Republican News · February 15, 2010

Listed building damaged in British explosion

A British Army controlled explosion has damaged the 17th-century Church of Ireland deanery in Derry.

It is understood that the Crown forces at the Bishop Street courthouse on Saturday were jumpy over the appearance of two dissident republicans who had allegedly breached bail conditions.

British army ammunition technical officers were sent to carry out an explosion on a “suspicious van” .

The Derry republicans had removed electronic tagging devices, which they had been ordered to wear by a district judge as part of bail conditions that included a curfew.

The pair, Paul Hutcheon and Gavin Deery, both members of the 32 County Sovereignty Movement, removed their tags on Thursday claiming they would go to jail rather than wear them.

The bomb squad blew up the van parked near the listed building on Saturday at 4.30pm.

Nothing suspicious was found in the vehicle.

A day before, the British army carried out another “controlled” explosion after reporting that a s suspicious object was found on the top deck of Derry’s main thoroughfare, the Craigavon Bridge, on Friday.

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