A Derry man’s compassionate bail bid was refused after he admitted possessing an adapted AKM assault rifle and ammunition in suspicious circumstances.
A Derry man caught with an assault rifle was refused compassionate bail today to visit his dying father in hospital.. Patrick James Collett, 58, of Rossnagalliagh, is in custody after he pleaded guilty to possession of a Romanian AKM assault rifle and ammunition in suspicious circumstances.. He also pleaded guilty on re-arraignment to possessing the 7.62 assault rifle which had been adapted so that “two or more missiles could be successively discharged without repeated pressure
on the trigger”.. Belfast Crown Court heard the carpet fitter mounted the compassionate bail application as his 89-year-old father is in Altnagelvin Hospital suffering from bowel cancer and has been given “months” to live.. Opposing his bid for freedom, a prosecution lawyer said the weapon, ammunition, garden gloves and latex gloves were found in Collett’s car after it was stopped by a specialist police unit on Derry’s Letterkenny Road on May 21, 2024.. She told
Belfast Recorder Judge Philip Gilpin that police observed Collett going to the home of his co-accused where the weapon was collected and put in the boot of his car.. “The prosecution does have sympathy for Mr Collett in relation to his father but he no longer enjoys the presumption of innocence after his pleas of guilty to two charges,” said the prosecution barrister.. “He is now facing a minimum of five years in prison for
his offending.” A letter from a consultant in acute medicine at Altnagelvin Hospital was furnished to the court which stated that Collett’s father was seriously ill and had only “months” but it was possible his health could rapidly deteriorate.. The prosecution lawyer said there was no suggestion that death was “imminent” and Mr Collett snr is currently stable in hospital.. “What concerns us is that these compassionate bail applications may be brought back on a
regular basis.. We say there is no imminency and no urgency.. Should his condition deteriorate, then this can be looked at again.” She said Collett had published a number of photographs on his Facebook page which showed an association with violent dissident republicans in Derry .. “He published a photograph with Jason Ceulemans who has terrorist convictions.. We say this is a man who has profound and unshakeable links, ties and support for dissident republicanism.”
The prosecution barrister said there were also concerns around the safety of Collett and his father.. “This was a very significant loss for the New IRA of this weapon and ammunition and we are concerned there could be a reprisal attack,” she added.. Defence solicitor Rory Muldoon said Collett only wanted to be released from Maghaberry Prison for up to six hours to visit his dying father in Altnagelvin Hospital.. “His father is now 89
years old and has bowel cancer.. There is nothing that can be done for him.. This is an application by my client to say goodbye to his father.. Mr Collett senior will either go home for care or go to the hospice.” He said that prior to his arrest in May 2024, police had no intelligence on Collett who has a completely clean record.. Mr Muldoon said the photographs referenced by the prosecution were taken
in a local bar in the Brandywell where he grew up.. The solicitor said Collett’s brother-in-law has put up a £5,000 cash surety and the defendant’s wife has “scraped together” a further £5,000 cash surety to secure her husband’s release on compassionate bail, one of whom would pick up him up from the jail and take him to the hospital and back to custody.. “This is a very special relationship between a father and his
son.. Mr Collett was the principal carer for his father before he went into custody.. “The idea that he would get involved with dissident republican activity.. That just doesn’t hold water,” added Mr Muldoon.. Following submissions, the Belfast Recorder said he agreed with the prosecution that the compassionate bail application was “premature” and refused to grant Collett temporary release to visit his father.. However, Judge Gilpin said the application could be revisited if there was
a deterioration in Mr Collett snr’s condition.. For all the latest news, visit the Belfast Live homepage here and sign up to our daily newsletter here.
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