Loyalist Jamie Bryson confirms return of 'wrongly obtained' items

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Jamie BrysonImage source, Pacemaker

Loyalist Jamie Bryson has confirmed that most items seized during an investigation into the alleged supply of illegal door staff have been returned.

Documents, laptops and an iPod were among items seized by police during searches of a property in Donaghadee, County Down, in August 2018.

Police were acting on behalf of the Security Industry Authority (SIA).

Mr Bryson said he expected any remaining items to also be returned.

He made the comment at Newtownards Magistrate's Court on Friday where he was seeking the return of his property.

Earlier this year at the High Court, Mr Justice McCloskey ruled the warrants used to execute the searches were wrongly obtained but did not have them formally quashed.

Mr Bryson also faces a charge of making a false statements to the SIA and making a false statement to the SIA on 6 June 2018.

It is the SIA's contention that according to a £450 invoice for "SIA licensed event supervisors" at a bonfire festival in Bangor in 2017 five men were supplied for six hours at a rate of £15 per hour each.

The document was allegedly created by JJ Security Services in which Mr Bryson was a named director.

A previous hearing at the High Court was told the SIA had written to Mr Bryson requesting information about JJ Security Services Ltd.

Mr Bryson said JJ Security Services Ltd has never traded and he did not hold relevant information.

It formed part of an investigation into door staff operating in the north Down area.

District Judge Steven Keown heard that Mr Bryson intends to argue to have those charges should be dismissed on the grounds of an abuse of process.