Two men appeared at Limavady Magistrates' Court, Co Derry, yesterday charged with the murder of a man from Stirling, Scotland, who was assaulted and whose body was then thrown into the path of an oncoming car in Derry last Saturday.
John Richard Stewart, (41), King William III Crescent, Maghera, Co Derry and Thomas Rodney Colgan (29), also King William III Crescent, both deny murdering Ronald Mackie (36), at Maghera Road, Tobermore, on July 29th, 2006.
The two defendants arrived at the courthouse in separate police cars from the Coleraine PSNI station just after 1pm. They were both remanded in custody to appear via a video link before the court on August 22nd.
After the brief hearing they were driven away in a prison van.
Inside the court the defendants spoke only to confirm their dates of birth and they nodded to indicate that they both understood the charge.
A detective inspector told the court that when charged Mr Steward replied "not guilty" and Mr Colgan replied "definitely not guilty".
The detective inspector confirmed that the defendants attended Coleraine police station last Sunday evening "voluntarily and by arrangement with the police". He said they gave an account of their movements on the date of the murder.
Questioned by a solicitor for the defendants, the police officer said no forensic evidence was put to them because "the forensic examinations are still continuing".
He also confirmed that the police were not alleging that Mr Colgan had "struck or made any contact with the deceased".
Three other men arrested for questioning in relation to MrMackie's murder have been released without charge.