Man in court on firearms charge after Newtownabbey flags search 15 February 2013 Last updated at 18:24 A man has appeared in court charged with having firearms and ammunition. Philip Charles Lavery, 43, was arrested during searches near his home at Kings Way, Newtownabbey. Detectives carried out the trawl on Thursday as part of investigations into incidents surrounding the loyalist flag protests. Mr Lavery appeared before Belfast Magistrates' Court on a total of four charges and was remanded in custody. He is accused of two counts of possessing a firearm in suspicious circumstances, having ammunition in suspicious circumstances, and dishonestly using electricity. A bail application was refused due to concerns of potential interference with witnesses in the case. Mr Lavery was remanded in custody to appear again by video link on 1 March. Meanwhile, a 24-year-old man and a 45-year-old woman who were arrested during the same search, were released on police bail pending further inquiries.