County Derry Post

Four County Derry men are to stand trial next year accused of attempting to extort £8,000 from a man.

 

Brian Conwell and Jonathan Forrest, both of no fixed abode, Patrick Magowan, of Learmount Road, Claudy, and Jason Irwin, of Lackagh Park, Dungiven, appeared at Limavady Magistrates’ Court for a preliminary enquiry on Wednesday.

 

Magowan and Conwell are jointly charged with demanding £8,000 from witness A in the county court division of Derry on July 3 last year, and with possession of a firearm or imitation firearm with intent to cause a person to believe violence could be used against them.

 

Magowan was further charged with making the same demand for money from witness A between July 4 and August 25 last year, while Conwell faced three further counts of the same charge between July 14-30 and on July 17 and 18 last year.

 

Conwell, Irwin and Forrest are jointly charged with making an unwarranted demand for £8,000 from witness A on August 13 last year.

 

Vincent Browne, of the Public Prosecution Service, submitted that there was a case to answer.

 All four defendants declined to say anything in answer to the charges.

Mr Browne made an application for them to be returned to Belfast Crown Court, however, one of the defence barristers argued that the case had been going on for a year and a half and asked that it be returned to Derry.

 The four were released on continuing bail to appear at Derry Crown Court on January 9.