John Patrick Nixon: Pub Arson Attempted Murder Charges

John Patrick Nixon is alleged to have shouted ‘trick or treat’ before throwing a petrol bomb in The Toby Jug bar, and then brandishing a knife at customers as they fled.

CCTV footage of the incident shows patrons, including children who had been watching football and listening to music running from the bar.

The footage shows a man pulling a large blade from the back of his trousers as a woman and young girl flee. The man then appeared to cut himself as he left the scene.

Two men, one in his thirties and one in his sixties were taken to hospital following the incident on Monday night with significant burn injuries.

Nixon, 38, appeared in Newry Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday accused of two counts of attempted murder.

He’s also been charged with arson with intent to endanger life, possession of a knife in a public place, and three counts of criminal damage.

The criminal damage charges relate to incidents earlier on Monday evening when the windows of a house and a car at Keady Road were smashed, and the kitchen window of another nearby property was shattered with a brick.

During Nixon’s court appearance a PSNI detective constable said customers in the bar reported that a male had entered the premises shortly before 9pm on Monday, shouted ‘trick or treat’ and thrown the lit petrol bomb directly at two people.

The PSNI officer told the court that CCTV from outside the Irish Street bar showed a man taking something from a plastic bag, walking across the road, then lighting a rag in the top of a bottle.

He said footage showed a flash and orange flames coming through the doorway of the pub shortly after the man walked inside.

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“The male suspect walks calmly out of the bar, walks across the street whilst removing an item from the waistband of his trousers,” the officer told the court.

“As a number of children and an adult came running out of the bar, he brandishes this item, which appears to be a large knife.”

Nixon, from Irish Street in Armagh was arrested later that evening at an address on Chapel Lane in the city.

The court heard that a petrol bomb and a plastic bag containing a knife were found at the same property.

CCTV footage of the earlier attacks showed a bald man in dark clothing in the driveway of a property, and Nixon was later identified by a witness as the man on the video.

The court heard detectives had established the description of the man who had caused the damage to the houses matched that of the man who’d thrown the petrol bomb.

The detective constable said officers had also obtained CCTV footage from a local filling station just before 8pm on Monday evening which shows, it’s alleged, the accused filling up a plastic bottle with £2 worth of petrol.

During police interviews Nixon made no reply to any questions.

In court he spoke only briefly to confirm his name, date of birth and that he understood the charges.

No defence application for bail was made at the hearing and Nixon was remanded into custody.

He will appear before Armagh Magistrates’ Court on September 2 via video link.