Derry Court: Man admits intimidation charge in Meenan murder case

A man who was along with Derry murder victim Eddie Meenan on the night he was killed in November 2018 has been given a conditional discharge on an intimidation charge in relation to the same incident. 

William McConnell (55) of Glendale Gardens in Derry admitted one charge of the attempted intimidation of the woman in whose house Mr Meenan's murder took place on November 25 2018. 

Derry Crown Court sitting in Coleraine was told that on the night in question McConnell had been along with the dead man and several others drinking. 

Both the accused and the murder victim left and McConnell returned some twenty minutes later with head injuries and was wearing latex gloves. 

His girlfriend arranged for him to get treatment and he contacted police in relation to the murder of Mr Meenan which had taken place a short distance away. 

A police officer gave evidence to the court that the defendant had been an important witness in the case against the three men charged in connection with the murder. 

She said that by doing so he had left himself open to the intimidation charge as it appeared himself and Mr Meenan had gone to the woman's house in relation to anti-social activities that were said to have been occurring. 

Judge Neil Rafferty said that it was interesting the accused was charged under the 1969 Act which he said had been passed 'overnight by Stormont as Belfast was ablaze.' 

He said he did not need a pre-sentence report in this case as McConnell had co-operated with police and gave evidence despite being in danger of a criminal charge. 

The judge said that since the night of the murder the defendant had' cleaned himself up' and had not come to police attention. 

He imposed a conditional discharge for a period of 2 years.