A 27-year old man who was the first person in Northern Ireland to be prosecuted on a charge of comments made online avoided being sent to jail today (Thursday).
Originally from West Belfast but with an address at Exchange Court in Newtownards, Ciaran Barry Kilifin was handed a 12-month sentence, which was suspended for two years, by Judge Gordon Kerr KC.
He pleaded guilty, and was sentenced, on a charge of recklessly expressing an opinion or belief that was supportive of a proscribed organisation, namely the publication of images and text on the ‘Republican Activist Coalition’ Facebook page over a period spanning from August 21, 2021 to January 10, 2022. In addition to the suspended sentence, Kilifin will be subject to terrorism notification requirements for a period of ten years.
Judge Kerr described Kilifin’s offending as “collecting on a Facebook account a number of posts which did not originate from him which had the effect, or could have had the effect, of glamourising and encouraging Republican violent activity”.
An example of this included a post on the Republican Activist Coalition Facebook page which named two men and accused them of being traitors and ‘M15 informants’. The post also included a quote from veteran Republican Dolores Price which called for the bodies of informants being thrown onto the street.
Another post on the Facebook page was an image of a male in a combat gear brandishing what appeared to be an AK47 pointing skywards.
Judge Kerr said: “It is recognised that support for and encouraging others to support terrorist organisations which commit criminal violent acts is a serious offence.”
Defence barrister Stephen Toal KC, instructed by Owen Beattie solicitors, said his client “appears to have become lost in the alternative world that can exist on the internet”.
He added: “For someone born in November 1997, he shouldn’t even know who Dolores Price is, let alone be quoting her views on shooting informants.”
Citing a “disconnect” between his Kilifin and “actual paramilitaries”, Mr Toal said his client’s family were “deeply ashamed and angry with him that he had jeopardised his bright future by engaging in this type of behaviour”.
The defence barrister added Kilifin had expressed “clear remorse and regret for his actions”. Judge Kerr noted that Kilifin has no previous convictions and despite being 23/24 when he committed the offence, at the time he appeared to be an “immature adult”.
After handing Kilifin the suspended sentence, Judge Kerr wanted him of the consequence of an further offending over the next two years. After Kilifin confirmed he understood, Judge Kerr told him “you are free to go”.
Speaking after the sentence was imposed, the PSNI revealed that Kilifin was arrested on March 31, 2022 following an extensive investigation by the Serious Crime Branch. It followed the creation of a Facebook page and posts made on the page between August 2021 and January 2022.
Detective Sergeant Allen said: “Often those sitting behind keyboards believe that their actions will have no consequences. However, words and articles supporting proscribed organisations can lead to others believing that engaging in the criminal acts of these groupings is acceptable.
“This is the first time this offence has been prosecuted in Northern Ireland since the change of legislation, which now allows the court to take into account material posted on the internet recklessly which expresses an opinion or belief that is supportive of a proscribed organisation.
“I would urge those who continue to engage in this type of activity to take note of the newly-introduced recklessness aspect of this offence and to refrain from posting anything which could be deemed to be supportive of any organisation proscribed under the Terrorism Act.
“I hope this sentencing will offer reassurance that the Police Service remains committed to disrupting the activities of those involved in cyber-enabled criminality, and that we will continue to use all means possible to bring people before the courts.”
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