A man alleged to have been involved in an attack on two elderly brothers at their isolated farmhouse in Co Tyrone last month has been refused bail by the High Court in Belfast.
A Crown lawyer said the attack on Mr James Kerlin (76) and his brother Gerald (60) had received some notoriety after they were seen on TV looking very shocked. He opposed a bail application by Mr Colin James Brown (18) of Spruce Road, Strabane, who is charged with aggravated burglary and assaulting Mr Gerald Kerlin.
The men were beaten with hammers and punched and kicked for 1 1/2 hours by the raiders who demanded money and stole £65. They left them tied up, but they freed themselves when one crawled to a cupboard and got a pair of sheep shears.