Court increases sentence for man jailed over Real IRA police murder bid

Jonathan McCambridge, PA

The sentence imposed on a man jailed over a Real IRA murder bid on a Catholic police officer has been increased at the Court of Appeal.

The court found the original six-year term imposed on Gavin Coyle to have been “unduly lenient”, increasing it to eight years.

Coyle (46), from Mullaghmore Drive, Omagh, was convicted of IRA membership and providing a car, knowing it would be used for the purposes of terrorism.

The police officer was off-duty when a booby trap exploded under his car in 2008 in Spamount, Co Tyrone. He suffered serious leg injuries in the attack.

Responsibility for the bomb was claimed by the Tyrone Brigade of the Real IRA.

Coyle was sentenced to six years in 2023.

The Director of Public Prosecutions referred the sentence to the Court of Appeal as unduly lenient, while Coyle appealed that it was manifestly excessive.

The court considered both the reference and the appeal simultaneously.

Its judgment said: “Applying the relevant principles and upon a careful analysis of the case, the court considered that the sentence in this case was unduly lenient for offending of this nature.

“It considered that if the starting point was 12 years with a reduction of two years for totality and delay, the sentence should have been in the region of 10 years before reduction for the guilty plea.

“An appropriate reduction for the plea was 20%. Therefore, the final sentence should have been one of eight years rather than six years’ imprisonment.”

It added: “The court therefore substituted a custodial sentence of eight years for the sentence imposed by the trial judge.

“The sentence will be comprised of two-thirds period in custody.”