A dissident republican has been ordered to stand trial charged with offences linked to a major PSNI data breach.
Christopher O’Kane (51) refused to stand to recognise the court and stayed sitting down while the four charges were read to him.
O’Kane, from the Iniscarn Road in Derry, is accused of committing acts in preparation of terrorism, possessing articles for a terrorist purpose, possessing records or documents likely to be of use to terrorists and viewing or accessing material “likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism”.
Previous courts have heard claims that O’Kane had a spreadsheet containing the names of thousands of police officers arising from a data breach when, under a Freedom of Information request, police released the names of more than 10,000 staff and officers by mistake.
According to the defence O’Kane is a “computer geek” who wrongly became a suspect because of his links with Irish republicanism in that that he had worked as an IT consultant and acted as administrator for websites run by Irish republican group, Saoradh as well as the Irish Republican Prisoners Welfare Association.
In court on Wednesday, a prosecuting lawyer submitted there was a Prima Facie case against O’Kane which was conceded by defence counsel.
Freeing O’Kane on continuing bail, District Judge Peter King returned the case to Antrim Crown Court and although he indicated the arraignment would not be heard until the new year, the judge did not specify a date.