Two people have appeared in court in relation to charges tied to disorder in Northern Ireland following a knife attack in Belfast.
The 28-year-old man and 24-year-old woman face charges associated with unrest in Portadown, Co Armagh, on Wednesday evening.
Violent demonstrations were seen across Northern Ireland in the wake of a stabbing attack in north Belfast in which Stephen Ogilvie lost his left eye and suffered deep cuts to his head, face and back.
Martynas Girkis, 28, of Festival Road in Portadown, appeared at Craigavon Magistrates’ Court by sightlink from Maghaberry prison, near Lisburn.
He was charged with failing to remove a disguise when requested, obstructing police and resisting police.
A PSNI officer told the court that on Wednesday June 10, Girkis was with a crowd of masked men in Portadown town centre.
The group of men were told by police to remove their masks and when Girkis allegedly refused, he was arrested for obstruction and failure to remove face-covering.
The officer said Girkis then broke free from police and made off before being located on a towpath nearby, and when he was searched he was allegedly found with a black ski mask in his back pocket.
In his application for bail, Girkis’s solicitor said he had been living in Northern Ireland for 15 years and speaks fluent English.
He conceded there is a “degree of irony” in his client being “anywhere near” demonstrations of this nature, but there was no suggestion he was involved in any “riotous” behaviour.
District Judge Michael Ranaghan said this was the first case he had dealt with from the rioting seen across Northern Ireland this week.
He denied Girkis’s application due to a “serious risk of further public disorder”, acknowledging that while he was not arrested on charges relating to destruction or violence associated with riots, his presence at the event wearing a mask, given the public order situation is ongoing, was “enough” to deny bail.
Alliyah Harper, 24, of Ballybay view, Portadown, also appeared at the same court by sightlink from Hydebank women’s prison in Belfast.
She was charged with possessing an article with intent to cause damage and disorderly behaviour in a public place.
A police officer told the court Harper was on High Street in Portadown, in a crowd with her face covered, and is alleged to have been heard by police shouting “you black bastards, you’ll protect them but not us”.
She was then alleged to have been seen by police placing masonry on to the road and when she was searched to be in possession of a pair of black gloves.
Harper’s legal representative David McKeown said it was her contention that she was caught up in the gathering when making her way to her home nearby.
Judge Ranaghan similarly refused Harper’s bail application due to serious risk of further public disorder, again highlighting the “situation is ongoing”.
Both are due to appear before court again on July 10th.
