Samuel Clarke at a previous court sitting. Pic by Northwest Newspics.
A JUDGE has agreed to a surety in a bail application from a murder suspect.
Samuel James Clarke, (52) of Magherane, Raphoe was charged in January this year with the murder of Mr Seamus Doherty, (67), in Drumnacoo near Churchill in June 2012.
He had been granted bail in the High Court subject to signing on at a garda station twice a day and that an independent surety of €30,000 be provided, €10,000 of that in cash.
Edwin Clarke, with an address at Galdonagh, Manorcunningham, and son of Mr Clarke was approved by Judge Paul Kelly at Letterkenny District Court to provide the surety.
Gardaí had objected to the application on the grounds that they believed the surety was coming, in some way, from the income of Samuel James Clarke.
Inspector Goretti Sheridan told Letterkenny District Court that almost €30,000 in an Ulster Bank account was obtained as a loan from the bank by Edwin Clarke to purchase cattle.
Judge Kelly issued an order to the Ulster Bank that the amount of money in that account should not fall below €20,000 and said bail could be granted if the bank agreed to the order.