Media again banned from naming man charged with serious drug offences in Derry

Another man facing serious drug charges at Derry Magistrates Court was today granted anonymity.

For a number of years, the legal teams of defendants appearing before the local court on drug supply offences have made applications for their names not to be identified by the media because of the alleged threat to suspected drug dealers in Derry from dissident republicans.

Last week, two men facing charges of possession and supply of cocaine were also granted anonymity.

They faced charges in connection with the seizure of cocaine worth an estimated £80,000 in a house in the Bogside last week.

The man before the court today was charged with a number of offences including possession of drugs and possession of drugs with intent to supply, including cocaine.

The court was told that the man was arrested at his home in Derry this week after he had sent drug-related messages to a man who had been remanded in custody last week, also on drug charges.

Police were able to intercept the messages on the remanded man's electronic devices.

When police officers arrived at the man's house this week, they searched the property and found a 'large rock' of cocaine in his bedroom.

A police officer said the cocaine had an estimated street value of up to £5,600.

At the beginning of today's hearing, the defendant's barrister, Ben Thompson, applied for an anonymity order in relation to the case.

Mr Thompson said such orders were 'pretty standard practice' in Derry court.

He said the approach in Derry was currently that 'the threat level is so high that it is judicially accepted that the general threat level is sufficient to make out the Article 2 risk'.

He was referring to Article 2 of the Human Rights Act which states: "Everyone’s right to life shall be protected by law. No one shall be deprived of his life intentionally save in the execution of a sentence of a court following his conviction of a crime for which the penalty is provided by law."

At today's hearing, Deputy District Judge Chris Holmes said he accepted that the granting of anonymity orders in such cases was 'fairly standard practice' in Derry.

He said he would be prepared to grant an interim anonymity for one week to allow him to take advice on the matter.

However, Mr Holmes later granted the full anonymity order when a police officer told the court that they believe the risk of harm to the defendant 'from the community' was 'considerable'.

The officer said that police would object to the defendant being released on bail as they believe he has been involved in a 'high degree of drug supply' for more than two years in Derry.

The bail application was refused and the defendant was remanded in custody until March 2.