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| NI bank robbery charges dropped | NI bank robbery charges dropped |
| (10 minutes later) | |
| A County Down builder jointly accused of the £26m Northern Bank robbery in December 2004 has had the charges against him withdrawn. | |
| Dominic McEvoy, 23, from Mullandra Park, Kilcoo, was not in Belfast Magistrates Court as he had been excused attendance at remand hearings. | |
| Mr McEvoy had also been charged with falsely imprisoning a bank official. | Mr McEvoy had also been charged with falsely imprisoning a bank official. |
| However, a Crown lawyer said the test for a prosecution had not been made and asked for the charges to be withdrawn. | However, a Crown lawyer said the test for a prosecution had not been made and asked for the charges to be withdrawn. |
| Charges were also dropped against a second man. | |
| Martin McAliskey, 40, from Ballybeg Road, Coalisland in County Tyrone, was accused of withholding information and attempting to pervert the course of justice in relation to a white Ford Transit van alleged to have been used in the Belfast city centre robbery. | |
| 'Long overdue' | |
| Mr McEvoy's solicitor Niall Murphy said while the withdrawal of charges was welcome it was "long overdue". | |
| He said his client had spent a month in jail before being granted bail. | |
| That application had been opposed by the Crown and if it had been successful Mr McEvoy would have spent 14 months in custody for practically nothing, he said. | |
| Mr McEvoy was jointly charged with Northern Bank official Christopher Ward, 25, from Colinmill, Poleglass in west Belfast. | |
| The prosecution lawyer said preliminary inquiry papers in respect of Mr Ward were being prepared in draft form and asked for a further remand. | |
| Mr Murphy, who is also acting for Mr Ward, said he was "personally flabbergasted and amazed" at the decision to proceed against his client as there was no evidence. | |
| He suggested that the next remand should not take place until committal papers were served on the defence. | |
| However, Resident Magistrate Paul Mateer remanded Mr Ward in custody until 31 January. | |
| "Hopefully there will be some indication then as to when a preliminary inquiry date can be finalised," he added. |