Man charged with ‘hate crime’ bonfire display

It is believed to be one of the first cases of its kind in Northern Ireland.

19-year-old Colin White is accused of placing offensive material on the bonfire in the town last year.

is understood the charges relate to the placing of Tricolours covered in sectarian slogans and an effigy of Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams on the huge stack ahead of the Twelfth of July.

White of Farmhill in the Ballycraigy estate is charged with displaying “written material which was threatening, abusive or insulting, intending thereby to arouse fear, or having regard to all the circumstances fear or hatred was likely to be aroused” on 11 July 2014.

The court was previously told the charge related to the racist display on the bonfire.

At that time the report said other materials including the effigy of Gerry Adams were still said to be under consideration.

No specific details of the case were outlined at the court on Tuesday.

A prosecutor asked for the case to be adjourned until October.

He believed that a not guilty plea would be entered by the defendant.

Police launched a hate crime investigation over the Ballycraigy bonfire last year following complaints and later passed a file to the Public Prosecution Service (PPS).

A spokesperson for Gerry Adams at the time said his solicitor had been in touch with PSNI, who were treating the incident as a hate crime.

The image was described by Adams as “deeply offensive and a clear hate crime by those responsible”.