Teenager accused of having imitation gun denied bail

AN east Belfast teenager has been remanded in custody after appearing in court accused of having an imitation gun in public.

Standing in the dock of Belfast Magistrates Court in a grey tracksuit on Saturday, 19-yearold Dylan Conlane spoke only to confirm that he understood the four charges against him.

Conlane, from Kilberry Park in Dundonald, faces one count of having an imitation firearm in a public place, namely the Newtownards Road, and two counts of handling stolen goods, four Ted Baker gift boxes and two “cosmetic gift boxes” on December 8 and a charge of attempting to steal £40 of clothing from Wyse Byse on December 3.

A police constable said he believed he could connect Conlane to the charges, adding that, with almost 40 previous criminal convictions and a recent release from prison, there were objections to bail.

The court heard that at around 11.40am on Friday, Conlane was accosted by a security guard at Wyse Byse in east Belfast after a second man, who managed to escape, allegedly stole the cosmetic gift boxes. When staff looked into the bag which Conlane was holding, they discovered the gift boxes stolen from Boots across the road and an imitation firearm.

Defence solicitor Darren Duncan said that during police interviews, Conlane claimed his alleged accomplice “threw the bag” to him as he ran away so he had no idea there was an imitation gun in it.

Refusing the bail application and remanding Conlane into custody to appear again on December 21 via video-link, District Judge Amanda Henderson said that while it appeared he had a “workable case, I feel that there’s a very high risk of reoffending if I release you”.