Man pleads guilty to possessing an assault rifle

A man has pleaded guilty to possessing an assault rifle seized by police during an undercover surveillance operation.

Patrick James Collett, of Rossnagalliagh in Londonderry, appeared at Belfast Crown Court to be formally re-arraigned on a charge he had previously denied.

He is charged that on 21 May 2024, he had in his possession a firearm and ammunition and a magazine loaded with seven cartridges with intent to endanger life or to enable another person to endanger life or cause damage to property.

When the charges were put to him Collett replied: "Guilty on the second limb.''

The court heard that referred to the defendant enabling another person to endanger life or cause serious damage to property.

In May this year, the defendant pleaded guilty to a second charge of possessing the rifle and ammunition in suspicious circumstances.

He also admitted a third charge of possessing a firearm designed or adapted to "successfully discharge two or more missiles without repeated pressure on the trigger''.

During the hearing on Tuesday, defence counsel Kieran Mallon KC said that he had an application to vacate Collett's plea to the charge of possessing the gun and ammunition in suspicious circumstances.

Mr Justice Fowler said the charge would be left on the books and "not to be proceeded with without the leave of this court or the Court of Appeal''.

The court heard that a pre-sentence report would not be compiled on Collett by the Probation Board.

Instead, a Multi-Agency Review Arrangements (MARA) report would be compiled by the Department of Justice in conjunction with the PSNI, the Northern Ireland Prison Service and the Probation Board.

Collett was remanded back into custody.

No details were given in court in relation to the circumstances surrounding the case.

But during an unsuccessful compassionate bail application earlier this year by Collett to visit his dying 89-year-dad in Altnagelvin Hospital, a prosecution lawyer said the weapon, ammunition, garden gloves and latex gloves were found in Collet's car after it was stopped by a specialist police unit on Derry's Letterkenny Road, on 21 May 2024.

She told Belfast Crown Court that police observed Collett going to the home of his co-accused Martin John Joseph Burke, of Lone Moor Gardens, Ballymagowan, in Londonderry.

Officers observed Collett emerge wearing a glove and carrying a plastic bag, which he placed in the boot of a Volkswagen Passat before driving off.

Minutes later the Passat was intercepted by heavily armed officers from the PSNI's Counter Terrorist Special Operations Branch.

The prosecutor said Collett had published a number of photographs on his Facebook page which showed an association with violent dissident republicans.

The prosecution barrister said there were also concerns about the safety of the defendant and his father if released on compassionate bail.

"This was a very significant loss for the New IRA of this weapon and ammunition and we are concerned there could be a reprisal attack,'' she added.