Three admit having document connected to detective's shooting

Three men from Londonderry have admitted possessing a document which claimed responsibility for the attempted murder of Det Ch Insp John Caldwell in 2023.

The senior police officer was seriously injured when he was shot in front of his son by dissident republicans at a sports complex in Omagh, County Tyrone.

The three co-accused appeared at Belfast Crown Court on Tuesday.

Now retired due to medical reasons, Mr Caldwell attended the hearing by videolink.

Caolan Robert Brogan, 25, from Bluebellhill Gardens in the Brandywell area of Derry, 27-year-old Tiarnan McFadden, from Carnhill, and a third man who cannot be named for legal reasons were all charged with a count of possessing a document claiming responsibility.

A non-jury trial was to begin on Tuesday but before the Crown opened its case, defence barristers asked that the three men be re-arraigned on that count.

The three men were also charged with one count of electronically transmitting the contents of the document.

That charge will now not be proceeded with.

A prosecution barrister said the facts of the offending were "encapsulated" by the pleas to count one and, in light of this, the second count of transmitting the contents of the document was being "left on the books".

Judge Kerr said he would review the case on 19 May and set a timeline for sentencing.

The three defendants were granted continuing bail until the sentence hearing.