Fragments from explosive devices can result in serious injuries or fatalities, the trial of a man accused of the attempted murder of two police officers has been told.
Charlie Love, 30, of Bridge Street, Strabane, is accused over a bomb attack targeting a police car at Mount Carmel Heights in the County Tyrone town on 17 November 2022.
He denies two counts of attempting to murder police officers, one count of causing an explosion likely to endanger life and one count of possessing explosives with intent to endanger life.
On Friday the trial heard from the former state pathologist for Northern Ireland Prof Jack Crane.
He told the court: “The evidence would indicate that some type of improvised explosive device (IED) was detonated as the armoured [police] vehicle was passing the scene.
He said that although the precise nature of the IED in this case is unknown “it is clear” that impact damage was caused to the vehicle.
“Pipe bombs which usually consist of a metal tube or pipe filled with gunpowder or similar material can and indeed have caused serious injury and death,” said Prof Crane.
“There have been a number of such fatalities in Northern Ireland as a result of the victim sustaining injury from the fragmented device.
“In this case it seems fairly clear that this device had fragmented and had caused peppering of the nearside of the A pillar on the vehicle.
“If such fragments were capable of causing impact damage to the chassis of the vehicle, they would have been capable of causing serious injury or death if they had struck an individual.”
Cross-examined by a defence counsel, Prof Crane confirmed he was not an expert in the field of damage to vehicles.
He was then asked if he was aware that there was a dispute about whether or not damage was caused to the vehicle during this explosion.
The former state pathologist replied: “I understand that there is. I was not provided with any report in relation to the damage to the vehicle.
“I was essentially looking at photographs which showed some damage to that A pillar.”
The defence counsel asked: “Would it surprise you to learn that the trial has heard from a crime scene investigator who indicated that there was no evidence to connect the damage to this vehicle from the explosion?”
Prof Crane replied: “I assume that you are telling me that is the case.”
He added: “The evidence that I am giving is in relation to what IEDs can do if they are detonated and the damage they can do to an individual and can cause injury or death.”
On Thursday one of the police officers who was in the car when the bomb was detonated described the explosion as “massive” and “substantial”, causing his armour-plated patrol car to rock from side to side.
Mr Love’s partner, Symone Murphy, 28, of the same address, is charged with withholding information which might assist terrorists in connection to the attack.
The trial will sit again on Friday 28 March.
