Belfast gym owner Darren Service in court over Coveney bomb hoax alert charges

A gym owner allegedly drove gunmen to the scene of a hijacking as part of a terrorist bomb hoax targeting a north Belfast peace event attended by the Irish foreign affairs minister.

Darren Service, 40, is accused of playing a pivotal role in a politically-motivated attack which led to Simon Coveney being evacuated from the venue last Friday.

Police said a workman was ordered to transport what he believed were live explosives to a nearby church amid threats to harm his family.

Service, of Ballysillan Road in Belfast, was charged by detectives investigating a plot being attributed to the UVF as part of escalating tensions over the Northern Ireland Protocol.

He appeared at Belfast Magistrates’ Court on Thursday to face counts of preparation of terrorist acts, hijacking and placing an article causing a bomb hoax.

Mr Coveney had been attending the Houben Centre on the Crumlin Road for an event organised by the John and Pat Hume Foundation.

He was giving a speech on peace-building but had to be removed from the building as the alert began.

A funeral taking place at the Holy Cross Church was also disrupted, with devastated mourners forced to stand in a car park for the remainder of the service.

The court heard two masked men brandishing handguns got into the victim’s van at Sydney Street West that morning, took the vehicle to Upper Charleville Street, placed a suspected bomb placed in the rear, and ordered him to drive to the chapel.

A senior detective said: “The suspects threatened to shoot the injured party and harm his family if he didn’t do as instructed.

“He was informed that a car would be following him to ensure he carried out his instructions.”

With his phone and wallet confiscated, the distressed workman drove to the Houben Centre and alerted police.

The area was evacuated before bomb disposal experts made safe the hoax device.

Service is allegedly connected by CCTV footage of a grey Skoda Superb travelling slowly in Sydney Street West just before the hijacking.

Police claim this is the same, unidentified vehicle which dropped off the masked gunmen who then approached the victim’s van.

“We would say it was doing recce laps, waiting for the victim to arrive,” the detective said.

The court heard Service received the Skoda on a temporary basis after leaving his own car in an accident and repair garage on March 22.

Searches carried out at his home led to the discovery of two balaclavas, three lapel pins with UVF logos, an air rifle and a quantity of suspected Class B drugs.

High-value jewellery and bundles of cash were also found in a safe.

“We believe that’s in the vicinity of £100,000, but that has to be counted and confirmed,” the detective revealed.

Service was arrested after presenting himself at a police station on March 27.

Although the defendant accepted driving the Skoda in the area, he denies this was the car that the gunmen emerged from.

He claimed the UVF badges were bought at a band parade because he liked the colours, but disputes any affiliation with the organisation.

The balaclavas and air rifle were used for pigeon hunting, while the cash came from savings, according to his account.

Opposing bail, the detective claimed the hijacking was linked to protests and disturbances over the Protocol, and was specifically carried out because of Mr Coveney’s attendance at the peace event.

“With subsequent statements by loyalist paramilitaries that they would carry out further attacks in relation to the Protocol and Irish Ministers, we believe the presence of the UVF pins in his house is also significant,” he said.

“This was a politically motivated crime aimed at the disruption of this cross-community event.”

He claimed that Service played a “pivotal role” in the hijacking.

“We believe he was actively involved in this terrorist attack, he facilitated the masked gunmen by driving to the scene of hijacking the vehicle,” he added.

“He then led the hijacked van to the place where the suspect device was placed in the victim’s van.”

Backing those allegations, a prosecution barrister told the court: “Mr Service can only be what could be described as a trusted member of an organisation that has carried out this attack.”

Defence counsel Paul Bacon stressed his client faces no charges in relation to the balaclavas or UVF badges, and provided a full account for the money found at his home.

“He owns three gymnasiums and made an application for three bounce-back loans to the sum of £150,000,” the lawyer said.

Challenging the strength of evidence against his client, Mr Bacon argued that the case was based on the hiring of the Skoda.

“It’s conjecture and joining the dots, there’s no direct identification evidence,” he submitted.

Mr Bacon added: “You don’t need to be Sherlock Holmes to work out his political affiliations.”

Refusing bail, however, Deputy District Judge Liam McStay cited the risks of further offending and interference with the investigation.

He remanded Service in custody, to appear again in four weeks time. ends