A teenage schoolboy today denied trying to kill his mother in a knife attack.
Standing in the dock of Belfast Crown Court beside his father, the 15-year-old, who cannot be identified because of his age, pleaded not guilty to a charge of attempting to kill his mother on June 17th last year.
Defence QC Gavan Duffy said that once the case came up for trial – it is set to be heard next September – it was unlikely there would be “any great dispute at all” about the facts, as the boy would be defending the case based on insanity.
The alleged facts of the case were not opened during the short hearing but it is understood from previous court apearances the middle-aged woman was repeatedly stabbed as she lay in bed sleeping at her home in north Belfast.
Having sustained a punctured lung, the victim was taken to the Royal Victoria Hospital after she dragged herself out of the house and on to the street to raise the alarm.
Both Mr Duffy and prosecuting lawyer Philip Henry said there was likely to be further medical evidence about the teenager’s psychiatric condition.
Judge David McFarland released the boy on continuing bail to live with his father.