Man in court charged with murder of ex-police officer in Derry

A man charged with the murder of a former police officer in Co Derry has expressed his condolences to the family.

The body of Brian Coulter (62) was discovered in a flat in Magherafelt last Monday.

Sebastian Adrian Nowak, of Colvil Street in Belfast, is accused of murdering Mr Coulter on a date between October 13th and October 18th.

He has also been charged with the assault of a police constable on October 18th.

Appearing at Derry Magistrates’ Court on Monday, the 27-year-old indicated he understood the charges.

He was assisted by a Polish interpreter. Defence lawyer Ronan McCourt described his client as having limited English.

A detective sergeant told the court he believed he could connect the accused with the charges.

Mr McCourt said there was no issue with the connection and no application for bail.

He said his client had given an account to police which was self-defence, and asked him to express his condolences to the family of Mr Coulter.

He also told the court that there were rumours circulating on social media about the incident which “are patently untrue”.

District Judge John Connolly remanded the defendant in custody until November 17th when he is due to appear at Magherafelt court via video-link. – PA