PSNI woman scared off bomber after intuition woke her up, court told

A COURT has heard how “gut instinct” woke an off-duty policewoman in Londonderry and may have saved her or her PSNI husband from being killed by a booby-trap bomb.

In a statement read to Belfast Crown Court the now retired policewoman told of her “sheer disbelief” on seeing a “skinny man” attaching to her husband’s car what turned out to be a new type of improvised under-vehicle explosive device.

She said she was also “so shocked” she rapped so hard on the bedroom window of her bungalow in Eglinton that she “bruised” her knuckles.

The would-be bomber, her statement added, “must have croaked himself ” because he immediately “legged it” down the driveway into a waiting dark car.

On trial accused of attempting to murder police on June 18, 2015, and for possession of an under-vehicle improvised explosive device with intent, is Sean McVeigh (37), from Victoria Street, Lurgan.

McVeigh, initially picked up by Garda in Co Donegal a short time after the alarm was raised, was finally arrested by the PSNI on a Lurgan-bound train almost a year later in May 2016.

Judge Stephen Fowler QC, sitting alone in the non-jury trial, heard that save for giving his name and date of birth, McVeigh refused to answer any further questions put to him by PSNI officers.

A prosecution QC also told the court that traces of RDX explosive were allegedly found on McVeigh’s jacket and trousers.

He further claimed that CCTV footage taken from the police couple’s bungalow of the jacket worn by the would-be bomber provided a strong match with McVeigh’s.

However, the lawyer said he wanted “to make it clear” that while the court may conclude McVeigh planted the device, “the prosecution case is simply that he was one of a number of people who were involved in the joint enterprise to plant the device”.

“There is no need to ascribe his particular role,” he added.

The prosecutor also revealed that after the device — contained in a box heavily covered in black tape — was made safe it turned out to be the first of its type of under-car booby-trap.

He said that while it incorporated the usual mercury tilt switch, “it was unusual in that it had a copper cone incorporated in it”. Counsel explained that normally such components were often found in mortar or propelled grenades.

This was designed so that “on detonation it is deformed by the blast into a ‘slug’ or rod Police seal off the street in Eglinton, as forensics experts move in to examine a bomb which was left under a police officer’s car in 2015 shaped projectile”. In a field test, it “showed that anyone sitting on the driving seat would have sustained serious and possibly fatal injuries”.

The Belfast court also heard that after the alarm was raised police tasked to go to the house “encountered” two vehicles travelling at speed towards Derry.

McVeigh was found sitting in the front passenger seat of one after gardai stopped a VW Passat in Co Donegal.

In a follow-up search of the route taken by the VW, gardai found three pairs of Tesco Marigold-type gloves, later found to have traces of explosives residue.

RDX was also allegedly found on McVeigh’s black outer jacket and tracksuit bottoms.

Further traces were found on swabs taken from inside the VW car.

The trial, expected to last up to three weeks, continues today.