A 46 year old man has been sent forward for trial on charges of threatening to kill two members of the family of 20-year-old Cork student Cameron Blair, who was murdered in the city in January, 2020.
At Cork District Court today the book of evidence was served on on Noel Barry of Cherry Tree Road in Cork city.
It was previously alleged that Mr Barry made four phone calls to the family of Mr Blair in September of last year, two of which were recorded.
It was alleged that threats were made to Noel Blair, father of the late CIT student, and that he was told to "f**k off back to England."
Mr Blair informed gardai that the caller warned that his family "would never be safe". He said that the caller also told him to get his "Loyalist friends" so that they could "sort this out on the streets of Shankill Road".
The threatening charges, which are contrary to Section Five of the Non Fatal Offences against the Person Act, each states that on September 4th 2020 in the course of a phone call commenced at 10.57pm Mr Barry threatened to kill or cause serious harm to a named member of the same family.
Free legal aid was previously assigned to Mr Barry as he is on disability benefit. Mr Barry was remanded on bail and Judge Olann Kelleher sent the case forward for trial at Cork Circuit Criminal Court on February 1st next.
However, trials are not being heard during Level Five lockdown so it is not anticipated that the trial will go ahead next month. Mr Barry is facing three charges when the case proceeds to trial,
Deeply impacted
The court heard previously that the Blair family was deeply impacted by the threats.
Meanwhile, the murder of Cameron Blair sent shockwaves through the community in Bandon Road last January after he was fatally stabbed at a house party in the city.
Mr Blair died in Cork University Hospital after he was stabbed in the neck at a house party in Bandon Road in Cork city on January 16th.
The attendance was so large at his funeral service at St Peter’s in Bandon that mourners flowed out from the church on to the steep steps all the way down to the street
Cameron was laid to rest in Kilbeg cemetery outside Bandon town. A teenager was jailed in connection with his murder. He was sentenced to life imprisonment with a review of his sentence in 2032.
