The jury in the trial of two men accused of a murder plot against Celtic’s Neil Lennon, were shown pictures of the contents of a suspicious package sent to the football manager.
Suspected Loyalist sympathisers Trevor Muirhead (43) and Neil McKenzie (42) stand accused of conspiring to murder Neil Lennon, Paul McBride QC, former Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) Trish Godman and members of the Glasgow offices of the Irish nationalist organisation Cairde Na Heirann, by sending them improvised explosive devices (IED) in the post.
The package that was sent to Lennon allegedly contained an IED police believed could potentially cause severe injury and death.
It is also alleged that the package, which was sent to Celtic’s training centre, enclosed a plastic bottle containing the substance tri-acetone tri-peroxide with a wire attached, a plastic bag containing a bag of nails and a watch.
Both of the accused are from Ayrshire and have also been charged with sending devices to Trish Godman MSP.
The trial began on Monday at the Glasgow High Court. The court heard how Andrew Brown, a Royal Mail postman became suspicious when he picked up a package from a post box on March 4, 2010.
"When I felt it, there were different textures. It just didn't feel right. There were sharp edges," Brown told the court.
Brown said he was aware of the “scuffle” which had taken place between Lennon and the Rangers manager Ally McCoist, at an Old Firm match. He recalled the package stood out as it was addressed to Lennon. He informed his supervisors upon his return to the Saltcoats sorting office.
Upon inspection Andrew Easton, a Royal Mail line manager said the contents "felt like a bag of nails".
The police were called and the building was evacuated before specialist officers inspected the package. The court heard it was later established to be a fake “hoax nail bomb”.
The jury of 11 women and four men were shown photographs of the items contained in the package.
The trial continues and is expected to last between two and three weeks.
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Switch to the desktop site to post a comment.DanOLoingsigh | Mar 06, 2012, 04:07 AM EST
Seano - I guess you missed the point (again) - Paul McBride QC was allegedly targetted by the accused here - and tellingly, not a word from you on the innocent victims of republican or loyalist murder gangs...by your friends you shall be known??
seanomelb | Mar 05, 2012, 05:41 PM EST
RIP Bobby Sands and all his comrades.BTW RIP Sean McBride International jurist,Nobel prize winner,Lenin peace prize winner(the only person to receive both awards) and his roll as the former chief of staff Irish Republican Army.
DanOLoingsigh | Mar 05, 2012, 05:25 AM EST
RIP Paul McBride QC...condolences to his family...
DanOLoingsigh | Mar 04, 2012, 06:38 PM EST
So not just cheerleading, but funding as well...do you never wonder what bit of the 'heroic armed struggle' your funds paid for...maybe the gallant bombing of the Omagh children? Don't you feel just a little ashamed of your support for Irishmen killing their fellow countrymen? While you slept peacefully in your distant bed? Now that's what I call pathetic!!
seanomelb | Mar 04, 2012, 05:51 PM EST
If you are referring to me my family were involved in the armed struggle and organizing fund raising in Australia for Sinn Fein.Unlike you I am not oblivious to the blood spilling of the Brits and the terrorist surrogate unionists doing their dirty work. Your anti Irish rantings are typical of your ilk. The blood of nationalist is of less value than anyone else how pathetic. Your a Brit and ashamed to admit it.
DanOLoingsigh | Mar 04, 2012, 07:13 AM EST
Your so-called 'armed struggle' (a euphemism for bombing and mayhem) ... found many innocent men, women and children paying a heavy price...and for what??? Apologist armchair cheerleaders, living thousands of miles away were, of course, safely walking their own streets; oblivious then, and oblivious now, to the blood on their hands...
seanomelb | Mar 03, 2012, 05:28 PM EST
Unionist thuggery is correct, some unionists may have shunned the thuggery of their brethren but it was still unionist thuggery a spade is still a spade regardless of which end you try to dig you holes.As I said before the half glass SDLP were sent packing they could not find a unionists to agree with them. You are still condoning unionist thuggery by pretending it did not exist.A thuggery that was brought to heel by an armed struggle.
DanOLoingsigh | Mar 03, 2012, 05:11 AM EST
Seano - You are conveniently forgetting some of the other 'key players' at the time...the SDLP/Brit Labour Party(at times) etc....and conveniently combining all the unionist strands and labelling them as Loyalist thugs (of which there were many)...this is the SF/IRA narrative...not to be confused with actuality...a blind eye looking down a blind alley??
seanomelb | Mar 02, 2012, 06:19 PM EST
Sinn Fein did not start this conflict it was unionist bigotry and intransigence.Their inability to negotiate and their bully boy tactics during the peace marches.How easy is it for you re-invent history to justify you condoning(by your silence) the excesses of unionist thuggery the blind eye of the British government at that time.
DanOLoingsigh | Mar 01, 2012, 07:20 PM EST
Seano - not ameliorating or justifying...the fact is the Republicans wanted to change things, the Loyalists would 'win' if things stayed the same...they were handed that victory, when they should have been pressured into accepting more fundamental changes...bombings just stregthened their hand, and the changes to the constitution was the outcome...that's how it looks to me...
seanomelb | Mar 01, 2012, 05:42 PM EST
Dan is happy ameliorating Orange/British terror to suit his proactive re-invention of the facts.
DanOLoingsigh | Mar 01, 2012, 01:00 PM EST
Only those who try to justify one Irishman killing another should be considered anti-Irish...SF/IRA promoted the mayhem to coerce those who did not agree with them...the Loyalist violence was largely reactionary...a permanent ceasefire in the late seventies, and putting political pressure on the likes of the DUP, would have been more astute...and that's not hindsight.
seanomelb | Feb 29, 2012, 05:20 PM EST
Your anti-Irish views are noted Dan and your ignorance of republicanism is disappointing.The years of mayhem are a two way street take that patch of your eye.
DanOLoingsigh | Feb 29, 2012, 02:00 PM EST
seanomelb - Sinn Fein would love an inclusive Ireland??? Maybe they should have demonstrated this to those victims of their fellow travellers, bombed and shot in the years of mayhem??? Then a UI would be a good deal closer...
DanOLoingsigh | Feb 29, 2012, 01:54 PM EST
IrelandNorth - Dissenters WERE Christians...Scots and Welsh ARE British...Unionists WILL decide to accept a UI, or not...just like it says in the revised Constitution...
IrelandNorth | Feb 29, 2012, 07:23 AM EST
snakehips! This nonesense will all end when British colonialism in Wales, Scotland and Ireland end. FallsRNat! NI unionists/loyalists represent 20% of the island of Ireland's population, twice a recognised critical mass. Have the confidence of your numbers in a united Ireland. Irish Republican Patriarch, Theobald Wolf-Tone, agitated for a United Ireland of Catholics, Protestants and Dissenter. Maybe we should ditch all Christian orthodoxies and become Dissenters to expedite a United Ireland. When in doubt, always go for the synthesis of the theological dialectic.
seanomelb | Feb 28, 2012, 09:12 PM EST
Sinn Fein would love an inclusive Ireland as it is a secular party. The would welcome denomination in a united Ireland. I married a protestant in a protestant church and was never treated any differently by my family or friends.Sinn Fein has always reached out to others.It is about Irish unity not religion.
FallsRNat | Feb 28, 2012, 05:01 PM EST
Let us not forget that just as certain members of the republican community would want Ireland to be free of brits, including the protestant community in the North, the true protestant church, its acolytes would love to have a Scotland without Catholics, there's a plan for youse Seano, ask them to swap, it certainly won't be like for like, but Lennon will be able to walk free on the streets & Belfast Celtic will win the league every year from now ubtil the next millenium.
seanomelb | Feb 28, 2012, 04:31 PM EST
Suspected loyalist sympathisers gee is'nt that a suprise.
snakehips | Feb 28, 2012, 03:30 PM EST
When in the Name of God will this nonsense ever end? Is hate genetic or can this stuff be squashed once and for all?
DanOLoingsigh | Feb 28, 2012, 02:11 PM EST
Agreed...providing the prosecution proves its case...another glimpse of the dark underbelly of sectarianism in the west of Scotland...
citizen69 | Feb 28, 2012, 11:27 AM EST
Let's hope these Neanderthals end up in prison where they belong.