A resident magistrate yesterday remanded in custody two men charged with murdering a Co Donegal teenager in Derry at the weekend.
Magistrate Barney McElholm said he was doing so after the detective in charge of the murder investigation said in evidence that because emotions in the community were running so high following the murder, he feared for the safety of both defendants.
Before the court were Edward McEleney (20), Circular Road, Creggan, Derry, and Sean Cruickshank (19), Lislane Drive, also in the Creggan Estate. Both men have denied the murder of Liam Devlin (19), from Burnfoot, Co Donegal, who died from head injuries following an assault in the Creggan Estate in the early hours of last Saturday morning.
Det Insp Ian Magee of the PSNI's Crime Operations Department told the court that in reply to the murder charge, Mr McEleney said "not guilty" and Mr Cruickshank had made no reply.
With relatives of both defendants present in the city's Magistrate's Court for the remand hearing, the police witness said he "very strongly opposed bail being granted to the co-defendants".
Det Insp Magee said he believed witnesses could be interfered with and that both defendants could abscond. He cited "tensions in the area" and the "safety of the defendants" as part of his opposition to bail being granted, adding that "the main case is eyewitness evidence".
Applying for bail, defence solicitor Paddy McGurk said Mr McEleney "accepted he was there and he was involved in some degree". Mr McEleney had two previous convictions for disorderly behaviour but "there is nothing to suggest a violent personality. He is a member of a large family and he had not shown that he is capable of this type of offence."
Mr McGurk told the magistrate some witness statements corroborated Mr McEleney's version of events and his client was "deeply remorseful for the situation".
Una McNally, for Mr Cruickshank, said in her bail application that her client had no criminal record and had denied his involvement in the incident.