Denis Donaldson murder accused Antoin Duffy remanded in custody for book of evidence

A 49-year-old man charged with the murder of former senior Sinn Fein official Denis Donaldson, who was shot dead at an isolated Donegal cottage 20 years ago after he was exposed as an MI5 informant, has been remanded in custody until June for the service of the book of evidence.

Antoin Duffy appeared before the Special Criminal Court on Monday morning via video link and spoke only to confirm his identity.

The hearing at the three-judge, non-jury court took place two weeks after Mr Duffy was extradited from Scotland.

The 49-year-old, last of Braade, Kincasslagh, Co Donegal faces six charges, including the murder of Mr Donaldson and possession of a shotgun and ammunition with intent to endanger life at Cloghercor, Doochary, Co Donegal, between April 3 and April 4, 2006.

Mr Duffy is further charged with the attempted murder of Liam McGinley on November 19, 2007 at Meenaboll, Churchill in Donegal and with possession of a shotgun and ammunition with intent to endanger life on the same date and at the same location.

A State Solicitor told the court she was seeking an eight-week remand for service of the book of evidence. She said there will be two books served and that the defence is aware of this.

Mr Justice Tony Hunt, presiding, remanded Mr Duffy in custody and directed that the accused appear before the court via video link on June 8 for service of the book of evidence on his solicitors.

Duffy, who is originally from Donegal, had been in prison in Scotland following his conviction there in 2015 for his part in a plot to murder members of the Ulster Defence Association (UDA).

He was arrested by gardaí from the Donegal Division investigating Mr Donaldson’s murder following his extradition from Scotland at the end of March.  The arrest was carried out with the assistance of An Garda Síochána Extradition Unit, Garda National Bureau of Investigation and the Irish Air Corps.

Denis Donaldson was a former member of the Provisional IRA and a high-ranking Sinn Féin official. He associated with senior members of the party, including former party president Gerry Adams.

His fatal shooting at the age of 55 has been under investigation for nearly 20 years.

In 2002, when Mr Donaldson was Sinn Fein's top administrator working in the Northern Ireland Assembly in Stormont, he was charged with involvement in an alleged spy ring. Three years later, the charges were dropped and within days, the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) informed Mr Donaldson that he was about to be exposed in the media as an MI5 informer.

Donaldson met with senior republicans and admitted that he had been working for the British intelligence unit, MI5, and the Special Branch unit of the RUC for more than 20 years. On December 16, 2005, Donaldson held a press conference in Dublin in which he publicly acknowledged his role as a double agent.

He removed himself from public life and went to live at an isolated cottage near the Glenties in south-west Donegal, where he was shot dead on April 4, 2006.

The dissident republican organisation, calling itself the Real IRA, later claimed responsibility for the murder.