Neil Lennon bomb trial: Accused knew Neil Lennon was parcel’s target

A MAN accused of conspiring to murder Neil Lennon in a parcel bomb plot told police he knew that packages were being made up to send to the Celtic manager, a court heard.

Trevor Muirhead denied making or posting the packages, which he said were supposed to be a “hoax”.

Muirhead also told police he “supplied” two bottles of peroxide to someone else, and said: “I don’t ask too many questions.”

The trial heard Muirhead told police he did not have any views on sectarianism.

He said he has a Catholic father and a Protestant mother and was “brought up to respect everybody’s view”.

Muirhead, 43, from Kilwinning, and Neil McKenzie, 42, from Saltcoats, both Ayrshire, are alleged to have plotted to kill Lennon, the late Paul McBride QC and former MSP Trish Godman by sending improvised explosive devices to them.

They are also charged with sending similar devices to the premises of Cairde na hEireann (Friends of Ireland), in Glasgow. Both men deny the charges.

Their trial at the High Court in Glasgow heard that Muirhead was interviewed under caution by police on 12 May last year after being detained.

A recording of the interview, which spanned several hours, was played to the jury yesterday.

Jurors heard Muirhead was questioned by Det Con David Thomson and a colleague at Paisley police office.

After several hours of questioning, the accused told the officers: “I knew there was packages getting made up, supposed to be as a hoax, for Neil Lennon. That was all I knew about it.”

He went on: “I don’t know how to make them up. I never have made any of them up. I’ve never posted any of them so I don’t know what’s inside them, right.

“I knew they were getting made up and I knew they were getting posted.”

Muirhead told officers he did not know what was in the packages and said he did not know that they were peroxide-based.

The accused also stated that he “received” two bottles of peroxide.

“I passed them on. I’m not willing to say to who, but I passed them on,” he told officers.

Muirhead later added: “I supplied two bottles of peroxide and I knew that they were getting posted.”

Asked whether the person involved was his co-accused, Muirhead told police: “I said you were very near accurate, aye. I didn’t name and I’m not going to name, don’t ask me to do that.”

Muirhead also said he would have “great banter” with a Celtic-supporting colleague.

During the interview Muirhead was asked by DC Thomson whether he had “any views on sectarianism, or anything like that?”.

Muirhead replied: “Me? Naw.”

He also denied having views on racism.

Asked whether he had “any extreme views”, Muirhead replied: “Live and let live.”

He went on: “It’s the way I was brought up, I was brought up in a mixed marriage. My father’s Roman Catholic and my mother’s Protestant so I was brought up in a mixed marriage, so I was brought up to respect everybody’s view.”

The trial continues