Londonderry councillor given conditional discharge over vandalism

A dissident republican councillor in Londonderry has had his 6 month prison sentence for criminal damage replaced with a conditional discharge after money was made available to the magistrate's court to pay the costs of cleaning up after him.

Cllr Gary Donnelly was sentenced to 6 months in prison along with William Brogan and Terry Porter for daubing anti-internment slogans on the city walls. After £2,600 was paid into the court to cover the costs, the judge gave the three a conditional discharge and ordered the money be split between the NI Environment Agency and Foyle Search & Rescue.