A pregnant woman, whose house in the Creggan estate was raided by PSNI officers on Sunday morning, has said she believes the police were there to remove electronic bugging equipment.
Orla Brady, the partner of leading dissident republican, Gary Donnelly, made the comment after her house at Rinmore Drive in Creggan was searched by the PSNI at 8am on Sunday morning.
Ms Brady, who is six months pregnant, said the house was unoccu
pied at the time because of refurbishment work being carried out in the area.
Speaking to the 'Journal,' Ms Brady claimed the PSNI told her they were looking for clothes belonging to Gary Donnelly, who is currently being held on remand in the Republic, after he was charged with membership of an illegal organisation. "The police came at 8am and stayed there until 10am. I was not in the house at the time because it is being refurbished and is completely empty. I was telephoned by a neighbour who told me what was happening and when I arrived the police told me they were looking for clothing belonging to Gary. It should have been clear to them that the house was empty and that there was no point looking for clothes," she said.
The mother-of-two said she believes the real reason for the search was to remove a bug which was planted previously. "I believe the house was bugged and they were there to get it before the house is refurbished. They were hammering and sawing inside the house so I believe they were looking for something. Some time ago I called the Housing Executive about a panel of glass on the back door that was loose and they told me that the pane had been replaced but it wasn't replaced by us so I believe that the police gained entry to the house and planted a bug," she claimed.
A spokesperson for the 32 County Sovereignty Movement condemned the incident saying: "It is quite clear that this squad, which comprised of personnel from Gough barracks in Armagh, was there to remove electronic equipment in advance of work being carried out to the house. It is also clear that MI5 are operating with Free State Special Branch on a 32 county basis to solidify British rule in Ireland," the spokesperson claimed.
A PSNI spokesperson confirmed the search took place and said one person was arrested in a disturbance related to the operation.
"Police carried out a search of a house as part of an ongoing investigation into serious crime. A number of items were removed for examination. One person was arrested in connection with a public order offence," the spokesperson said.
The full article contains 460 words and appears in Journal Tuesday Derry Edit newspaper.
