TWO JUVENILE youths appeared before Coleraine Magistrate’s Court in Derry yesterday charged with attempting to murder a father of two outside his home at Harper’s Hill in the town last Saturday.
The juveniles, one from Coleraine and the other from Portrush, were both remanded in custody to appear before the same court on June 29th. Neither can be named because of their age. They are both 16.
A detective constable told District Judge Richard Wilson that both juveniles had previous convictions. He said the injured party had sustained multiple fractures to the face and skull.
“Part of his face basically has caved in and he also has swelling of the brain. He was transferred to the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast where I understand his condition has stabilised.
“The defendants were in the area at the time when there was some verbal altercation with the victim’s children who were in the garden. The injured party came out of his house and the incident then took place between him and the two defendants. Witnesses say he was both punched and kicked,” the police officer said.
The witness agreed with defence solicitors that one of the defendants said during his police interviews that he was attempting to act as a peacemaker and that the other defendant admitted assaulting the injured party but only to defend himself and his friend.
The judge refused bail for both defendants because of the serious nature of the victim’s injuries.