Man Sentenced for Possession of Pipe Bombs in Londonderry
A man convicted of possessing pipe bombs that detonated outside homes in Londonderry has been sentenced to four years in prison.
Noel Logan, 38, residing on Nelson Drive in the Waterside area of the city, was informed by the presiding judge that upon release, he will serve an additional four years on supervised licence.
Logan had denied three charges of possessing the devices with the intent to endanger life or cause serious injury.
In May 2025, he was found guilty of all three offences. Mr Justice Fowler stated he was "satisfied the defendant handled the three devices but I do not find that he deployed them."
The court heard that following a police investigation, Logan was arrested in December 2020, charged, and remanded in custody during the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The prosecution presented evidence that Logan's DNA was found on all three devices which exploded outside homes in the Waterside area of Derry between July 2017 and September 2019.
The DNA was extracted from tape attached to each of the devices.
The remnants of the devices were rendered safe by Army Technical Officers before being removed for forensic examination.
Forensic experts testified that in two cases there was a one in a billion chance that the DNA found on the Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) did not match Logan's DNA.
Regarding the third device, an expert stated there was a one in 1.7 million chance the DNA did not belong to the defendant.
The prosecution also noted that Logan lived less than a mile and a half from the three targeted addresses.
Defendant's Explanation and Court's Response
In his defence, Logan asserted he had "no involvement in any way whatsoever with the pipe bomb attacks," stating he had never seen a pipe bomb, "never mind touch one."
He offered an innocent explanation for how his DNA was found on tape attached to the devices.
Logan claimed he used the tape to affix flags to lamp posts in the Waterside area ahead of the 12 July celebrations and that the tape roll was discarded into a box after the flags were erected.
He suggested that someone else with access to the box could have used the tape roll in constructing the pipe bombs.
The prosecution rejected this explanation, noting that if it were true, Logan should have disclosed it during police interviews, but instead he declined to answer questions on his solicitor's advice.
The court was informed that the "crude devices" consisted of copper piping up to 500 millimetres in length, tape, small gun propellant, and were fitted with ball bearings and nails acting as shrapnel upon detonation.
Although the explosives had a low odour, the judge described them as "extremely effective anti-personnel devices capable of inflicting serious injury or death."
Pre-Sentence Report and Sentencing Details
According to a pre-sentence report prepared by the probation board, Logan maintained his innocence regarding involvement in the attacks.
The report indicated he lacked insight into the serious harm the devices could have caused to the public.
The judge described this as "concerning" and considered it as "minimising the impact such attacks could have on residential homes."
The report noted no prior mental health issues, incidents of self-harm, or emotional instability, and confirmed Logan was in good physical health.
Mr Justice Fowler initially imposed an eight-and-a-half-year determinate custodial sentence but reduced it by six months due to undue delay in bringing the case to trial.
Police Statement on Impact of Attacks
Following sentencing on Friday, Detective Inspector Mark Gingell of the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) stated:
"Significant disruption was caused in each of the areas targeted, not just for the occupants but for the local community."
"It caused massive inconvenience and disruption for everyone impacted."
"It is sheer fortune only damage to properties was caused by these devices and none of the occupants – which in one property included a child – were not injured, or worse."
