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DNA evidence may link a man extradited from Ireland to the 1982 murders of three British police officers, a court has heard. Martin McCauley appeared in Craigavon Magistrates’ Court on Thursday accused of the killing of the Royal Ulster Constabulary officers’ murder in an explosion near Lurgan, County Armagh. “Modern era” forensics could match the 62-year-old’s DNA to cigarette butts found at the scene at the time of the killings. McCauley, who has an address in Naas in County Kildare, has lived in Ireland since the late 1990s and was granted bail.
The officers were Sgt Sean Quinn and constables Allan McCloy and Paul Hamilton. All three were in an unmarked police car when a bomb, hidden in the road, was detonated remotely by a command wire. The IRA has claimed responsibility for the attack. Two people suspected of involvement were shot dead two weeks later by the RUC.
Mr McCauley is one of the so-called Colombia Three. He and two others were arrested in Columbia in 2001 accused of the IRA training of rebel FARC guerrilla forces. They were initially cleared of the charges, only to be convicted on appeal and sentenced to 17 years in jail. They avoided imprisonment by fleeing in 2004, later turning up in Connolly in the Republic of Ireland.
A PSNI detective inspector argued McCauley’s case in Colombia and the fact he fled that country were grounds for suggesting he could travel the world without a passport. The inspector said the police force objected to bail being granted because of the risk of flight, further offenses, and witness interference. However, the judge granted bail stating that he did not believe the risks set out by the PSNI was enough. McCauley remains out of prison, with a date at Belfast Crown Court set for 26 February.
A PSNI detective inspector argued McCauley’s case in Colombia and the fact he fled that country were grounds for suggesting he could travel the world without a passport. The inspector said the police force objected to bail being granted because of the risk of flight, further offenses, and witness interference. However, the judge granted bail stating that he did not believe the risks set out by the PSNI was enough. McCauley remains out of prison, with a date at Belfast Crown Court set for 26 February
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