BELFAST, Northern Ireland, Oct. 1 (UPI) -- A Northern Ireland judge who sentenced a Republican dissident for arms smuggling said the 20-year prison term was merited due to the potential for destruction.
At Paul McCaugherty's sentencing in Belfast Crown Court, Justice Anthony Hart said McCaugherty deserves a long prison term because of the "potential for murder and destruction on a large scale," UTV reported.
McCaugherty, 43, of Lurgan was described as a top leader in the Real IRA, a breakaway group that opposes the Peace Process. The Irish Times said he once boasted his unit manufactured the bomb that killed 29 people and injured more than 200 in a shopping district in Omagh in 1999.
McCaugherty's arrest followed a long undercover investigation by MI5, the British domestic intelligence agency. He negotiated with an agent posing as an arms dealer for the purchase of more than 200 pounds of plastic explosives, 20 AK47 rifles, 10 sniper rifles, 20 handguns and 20 rocket propelled grenade launchers.
Both McCaugherty and Dermot Declan Gregory, 41, of Crossmaglen were found guilty of trying to fund Real IRA activity by buying a restaurant in Portugal with plans to sell it at a profit. Gregory received a four-year sentence.
