PROMOTERS of a dance music festival staged yesterday were "devastated" that two brothers charged with a serious crime wore T-shirts promoting the event to court last week, leading to some parents forbidding their children from attending the festival.

Brothers Alan and Wayne Bradley showed up in court wearing T-shirts advertising music festival Escape, staged yesterday at Fairyhouse.

The brothers were in court on Wednesday in relation to conspiracy charges over a €2m theft and were refused legal aid.

Gar Hogan, a spokesman for Elite Promotions which staged the festival, said the Bradley's had "nothing whatsoever" to do with the festival. "This has had a devastating impact on the festival. There is such a thing as bad publicity, no matter what people say," he told the Sunday Tribune.

"They are not providing security at the festival. They have nothing to do with it. At recent gigs promoting the festival, we handed out 500 promotional T-shirts; that's where they must have gotten them."

He added that he was "disappointed to hear" that some parents were no longer allowing their children to attend the event because the Brad­ley brothers were associated with it.

A garda source said the brothers had previously stated they were involved in security work and that is possibly why they wore the T-shirts.

"They were just trying to be troublesome. As far as we're aware, neither are involved in security work for the festival, or anywhere else for that matter," said the source.

Before they were refused legal aid on Wednesday, Dublin Circuit Court heard that Alan (35) and Wayne Bradley (30) both had new BMW X5s months after they were charged with conspiracy to commit a robbery.

The Criminal Assets Bureau claimed they owed €362,000 between them in unpaid taxes and penalties.

Alan Bradley of Churchfields, Kentstown, Co Meath, and Wayne Bradley of Ratoath Road, Finglas, Dublin, are facing trial next year on the conspiracy charge over the €2m theft at Tesco on Shackleton Road, Celbridge, Co Kildare, on 2 November 2007.