Former soldier accused of terrorising Bangor neighbours with ball bearings to face trial

Ivan Giles

An ex-Special Forces soldier who allegedly bombarded his neighbours with metal ball bearings has been ordered to stand trial.

Ivan Jason Giles is accused of intimidation and repeatedly damaging property in a suburb of Bangor. He is also accused of assaulting police officers.

At Newtownards Magistrates Court on Tuesday, 48-year-old Giles confirmed he was aware of the 29 charges against him and did not object to a preliminary enquiry.

Formerly of Ashbury Road but now with an address at Rathgael Road in Bangor, Giles is alleged to have terrorised neighbours between October 2021 and August last year.

While none of the alleged facts were opened, previous courts heard claims that Giles fired more than 500 ball bearings at his neighbours with a catapult.

It was also claimed that Giles took matters into his own hands because his neighbour’s Nissan 200SX and Honda S2000 cars were backfiring and exacerbated his PTSD.

However, instead of talking to his neighbours, the former British Army corporal allegedly launched “in excess of 500 ball bearings” during a 10-month intimidation campaign.

They supposedly struck the cars, two men, three houses and a number of other vehicles, as well as a camera police had set up.

At one stage, officers who were speaking to the alleged victims had to “take cover” when ball bearings started to rain down, striking a CCTV camera with such force that it was left shaking.

Police believe “upwards of £20,000 of damage” was caused in the 10 months. The court also heard that one neighbour has left her home and is refusing to return.

In an incident at the end of July, Giles was allegedly captured on camera “holding a catapult with a ball bearing and just launching it”, while searches at his home uncovered a large sack of ball bearings and other catapults.

Arrested and interviewed, Giles, who spent more than 20 years in the Army where he “served with distinction” in multiple war zones, refused to answer questions, even when CCTV footage was presented.

On Tuesday, he also declined to exercise his right to comment on the charges or to call any evidence on his own behalf, although his solicitor, John Keown, conceded that he had a case to answer.

Giles faces 15 charges of criminal damage, two of attempted criminal damage, two of harassment, two of assaulting police officers and three common assaults.

He is also accused of three counts of possessing firearms without a certificate and single offences of possessing a gun under suspicious circumstances and intimidation.

Another charge alleges that between October 28, 2021 and August 3, 2022, he attempted 82 times to damage or destroy a property belonging to a couple on Ashbury Road.

Freeing Giles on continuing bail, District Judge Mark Hamill returned the case to Downpatrick Crown Court for trial, but did not set a date for the defendant to be arraigned.

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