THE total cost of the damage from the attacks on 5G masts in West Belfast is now believed to be much higher than an initial estimate of £4m, the High Court has heard.
Details emerged on Monday as Michael Clarke was refused bail on two charges of arson.
Clarke (45), of Monagh Road is accused of targeting 5G masts at the Park Centre and in the Owenvarragh area in June 2023.
He is allegedly connected by DNA evidence and CCTV footage of two men approaching the Owenvarragh site, with one of them carrying a sports bag.
Clarke was arrested earlier this month amid searches at his home where police recovered petrol cans and literature about the alleged dangers posed by 5G masts.
His 44-year-old brother Darren Clarke, of no fixed abode, remains in custody charged with one count of arson at another installation in the Whiterock Road area on September 7 this year.
Crown counsel Gosia Hackiewicz told the court on Monday that material discovered on a seized phone indicates potential involvement in other incidents in the area.
The court heard 23 attacks on 5G masts in West Belfast have been reported since 2023, with nine of them targeted over the past four months.
“It remains the police assessment that these attacks are not the work of a single individual, but are being carried out by a number of individuals as part of a network or possibly acting independently but united by shared conspiracy-driven beliefs,” the barrister submitted.
“While we had initially placed a value of £4m on the potential cost of the damage, we have since been informed that this is a conservative figure.”
Opposing Michael Clarke’s application for bail, she argued that the financial impact of the attacks was compounded by the significant social and economic consequences for the West Belfast area.
“High levels of the local community are experiencing difficulties with access to provision of healthcare services, businesses that rely on phone signals are struggling to operate as normal, and those working from home are experiencing difficulties undertaking regular tasks,” Ms Hackiewicz added.
Turlough Madden, defending, disputed the strength of DNA evidence from a bag he described as a “movable object” and also featuring profiles for other unidentified individuals.
Highlighting the two-year gap between the June 2023 attacks and his client’s detention, Mr Madden argued: “It’s not illegal to have material on 5G masts… this is a considerably weak prosecution case.”
Mr Justice McLaughlin ruled that Michael Clarke must remain in custody.
