Woman accused of phoning bomb threat to asylum seeker hotel in Newtownabbey has case sent to Crown Court
A woman who allegedly phoned a bomb threat to a hotel where asylum seekers have been housed, has had her case elevated to the Crown Court.
The 53-year-old is charged with communicating information that she knew to be false, on Friday June 12 this year, that a bomb was liable to explode at the hotel.
Joanne Mitchell, of Greenview Avenue in Antrim town, is also accused of breaching an ASBO (Anti-Social Behaviour Order) that she caused 'harassment, alarm and distress' whilst in possession of an internet-enabled phone.
She appeared at Antrim Magistrates Court, sitting in Ballymena, on Tuesday (October 270. She is on continuing bail and her case was adjourned to Antrim Crown Court for arraignment on November 24.
At an earlier court a police officer said there had been public disorder with "racial undertones" in parts of Northern Ireland.
He said "anti-immigration protesters including masked men" attempted to "march" to the Chimney Corner Hotel at Newtownabbey, "which is used to house asylum seekers," on Wednesday June 10. He said a "heavy police presence" stopped the protesters and "pushed them back".
The officer told the court that around 1pm on Friday June 12 an anonymous phone call was made to the hotel in which a female said a "bomb would be placed at the hotel" and "all residents must be evacuated within 24 hours".
After the call the "company in charge of security at the hotel promptly increased security by deploying additional security officers to that premises". The police officer said the defendant had been linked to the call to the hotel.
The number of the phone and the make of the mobile phone was established and analysis showed the call was made from the "Cloughmills area".
The phone the call was made from was found at the defendant's home. Whilst at the property, police rang the number the hoax call had been made from and the mobile phone in the house rang.
A defence barrister told the earlier court the defendant denied the charges. The accused has 108 previous convictions including seven for "bomb hoaxes".
At last Tuesday's court she was given continuing bail in the sum of £500 with conditions including reporting once a week to a police station and there is a 9pm-7am daily curfew.