Here is your round-up of the key cases that were heard before Northern Ireland courts during the week of August 31 to September 4
Cases before the Northern Irish courts this week included a man awaiting sentencing for a fatal hit-and-run being charged with disorder in Belfast City Centre.
Another case heard a trial date being set for the murder trial of Chloe Mitchel along with a man facing an attempted murder charge for a knife attack in North Belfast having his trial fast-tracked.
A Belfast business owner also pleaded guilty to a loyalist hoax bomb targeting Irish Foreign Minister Simon Coveney.
‘Belfast beauty salon subjected to harassment and threats from customer’
A special court sitting on Monday heard a Belfast beauty salon customer allegedly subjected it to a campaign of harassment, threats and theft over a two-week period.
The accused also faced charges of domestic abuse after an incident involving her mother.
Stephen Feeney – who prefers to be known as Shanelle with female pronouns – from Altan Drive in Dunmurry was initially accused of the harassment of the male and female salon owners on August 15 and making off without paying for nail extensions.
On August 17 she also allegedly threatened to destroy the salon and five days later stole a lamp from the premises. Then on August 27 Feeney allegedly assaulted her mother and threatened to destroy her home.
A police officer told Lisburn Magistrates Court the charges could be connected. He explained police received a report that Feeney had nail extensions costing £40 at the salon in Belfast then claimed to going out for cash, but did not return.
Mental health assessment to be carried out on teen charged with murder
A judge has ordered a mental health assessment to be carried out on a teenage boy charged with murdering a man in Co Tyrone.
The 16-year-old appeared in the dock at Omagh Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday where he also faced two charges of attempted murder and one of making a threat to kill.
Police and emergency services attended an incident at the Lisnahull Road area of Dungannon on Saturday.
A 61-year-old man was found dead next to his seriously injured daughter at a house. Police have said the girl is in a stable condition.
The dead man’s wife, who was also in the house at the time and sustained non-life threatening injuries, has been released from hospital.
Man hit over head with wine bottle at student union in ‘premeditated’ attack
A Co Antrim man who hit an ex-friend over the head with a wine bottle in a “premeditated” attack was jailed for six months on Tuesday.
Tyler Boyd, of Drumlee Road, Ballymoney, had previously pleaded guilty to charges of wounding a man and possession of an offensive weapon, namely a glass bottle.
Belfast Crown Court heard on the afternoon of Thursday, May 8, 2025, the victim was with some friends in the Student’s Union bar on Elmwood Avenue in south Belfast
A friend advised him that 20-year-old Boyd, who he knew reasonably well, had been “critical of him to others”.
The victim sent a text message to Boyd in an effort to resolve the matter. He said he was angry with Boyd as he believed he had been “spreading lies about me which were hurtful”.
Belfast gym owner pleads guilty to charges over loyalist hoax bomb alert
A Belfast businessman today pleaded guilty to charges arising from a loyalist bomb hoax targeting Irish Foreign Minister Simon Coveney.
Darren James Service, 45, of Ballysillan Road in north Belfast, appeared in the dock of Belfast Crown Court for his case which had been listed for mention.
His non-jury Diplock-style trial before a judge sitting without a jury was due to start next Monday, September 7.
Senior defence counsel Joseph O’Keefe KC told Judge Gordon Kerr KC that he had an application for gym owner Service to be re-arraigned on two of the three charges he faced which he had previously denied.
Man who left lewd and threatening voicemails for PSNI officer jailed
A Belfast man who left a series of lewd and threatening voicemail messages on a policewoman’s phone was jailed for seven months on Wednesday.
Thomas Fisher, 43, targeted the PSNI officer with recordings asking about her underwear and saying he would report her to the IRA.
District Judge Steven Keown declared: “It was an outrageous and sinister offence against a female public servant.”
Fisher, of no fixed abode, pleaded guilty to persistent improper use of a public electronic communications network over a nine-day period in March this year.
Belfast Magistrates’ Court heard he initially came into contact with the victim during an arrest for a separate incident the previous month.
Dad who claimed he was coerced into selling contraband cigarettes avoids jail
A 55-year old man who claimed he was coerced into selling contraband cigarettes and tobacco was handed a suspended sentence on Wednesday.
Alex Main, from Renfrew Walk in Belfast, had a four-month sentence imposed which was suspended for two years.
Belfast Crown Court heard on Wednesday Main’s criminality resulted in HMRC suffering a loss of around £35,000.
On June 14, 2024 officers from HMRC’s fraud investigation services branch attended Main’s home with a warrant.
The property was searched and the officers seized 63,022 cigarettes and 3.57 kg of rolling tobacco.
Main was arrested on that date and was found to be in possession of £440 in cash.
Man accused of serious Belfast knife attack to have case fast-tracked to trial
A man accused of a serious knife attack which triggered rioting across Belfast is to have his case fast-tracked to a Crown Court trial, a judge confirmed on Wednesday.
Sudanese national Hadi Alodid, 31, is charged with attempted murder over the stabbing in the north of the city which left victim Stephen Ogilvie partially blinded.
Video footage which was circulated widely online showed members of the public intervening in a bid to stop the incident at Kinnaird Avenue on June 8 this year
One of those who went to Mr Ogilvy’s aid repeatedly struck the assailant with a hurling stick before PSNI officers arrived.
Police later disclosed that Mr Ogilvy had lost one eye and sustained severe damage to the other.
Man brandished knife and assaulted ex-partner in nursery school
A Belfast man who brandished a knife and assaulted his ex-partner in her workplace was jailed for two years on Wednesday.
When he is released from prison Robert Martin Braniff, who has 121 previous convictions on his criminal record, will spend an additional two years on supervised licence.
From Norglen Road, the 41-year old appeared at Belfast Crown Court where he was sentenced for a number of domestic-related incidents.
On the morning of March 3 last year, the injured party was working in a children’s nursery in the west of the city. She had received multiple missed calls from a private number and a call from a relative of Braniff’s who told her he was on his way to her workplace.
At around 11.45am Braniff gained entry to the nursery after a parent and their child left the premises. The injured party was in the kitchen when Braniff walked in and began shouting at her and demanding she hand over her phone.
Man to stand trial in November for murder of Chloe Mitchell, judge rules
A Co Antrim man will stand trial for the murder of Chloe Mitchell this year, a judge ruled on Thursday.
Brandon John Rainey (30), formerly of James Street, Ballymena, denies murdering Ms Mitchell and preventing the lawful and decent burial of her remains.
He was due to stand trial in March this year but Rainey’s previous legal team walked away from the case stating that they had been “professionally compromised” and said the defendant had told them that he no longer wished them to represent him.
A new legal team headed up by senior defence counsel Des Fahy KC and Andrew Moriarty BL, instructed by Phoenix Law, came on record a few weeks later.
Man threatened to post ex’s fingers and toes to her dad, court told
A Co Fermanagh man allegedly threatened to cut off his ex-partner’s fingers and toes and post them to her father, the High Court heard on Thursday.
Prosecutors also claimed Gareth Parker knocked out the woman’s tooth and stated he would set her alight as part of a three-year campaign of violent intimidation. On one occasion the 33-year-old accused declared in a phone call that she was going to be murdered, a judge was told.
Details emerged as he was granted bail under orders not to begin any new romantic relationship without informing police. Parker, of Rosnarick Close in Derrygonnelly near Enniskillen, is charged with a domestic abuse offence, threats to kill, threatening or abusive behaviour and breach of a non-molestation order.
He also faces counts of assault occasioning actual bodily harm and common assault against his former girlfriend.
Men jailed for “savage” train station attack filmed for social media
Two males who launched a “savage” attack on another man at Ballymoney train station were both jailed on Thursday for six months.
Part of the assault in April 2024 was recorded and shared on social media which Judge Laura Ievers KC said added to the injured party’s “degradation.”
Ryan Hanna (38) from Mill Street in Coleraine and 32-year old Alan Steven Stewart from Crocknamack Street in Portrush appeared alongside each other in the dock of Belfast Crown Court.
They admitted a joint charge of causing their victim grievous bodily harm and both were handed a two-year sentence divided between six months in prison followed by 18 months on supervised licence.
The court heard that around 7.40pm on April 22, 2024 a member of the public contacted the PSNI after witnessing two males attacking another man on the footbridge at Ballymoney train station.
Former French Foreign Legionnaire jailed for stabbing a man during drunken row
A wheelchair user and former French Foreign Legionnaire was jailed for 15 months on Thursday after he stabbed a man during a drunken row.
Desmond Samuel Doak, 54, of Eglantine Place in south Belfast, had previously pleaded guilty to a single count of wounding a male neighbour.
Belfast Crown Court heard Doak and two males were drinking in his apartment on August 21, 2024, where they spent up to three hours drinking shots of Southern Comfort.
Doak had a small knife in his hand which he used to gesture with when he talked about his days in the Legion.
The injured party described it as an Army knife, about five inches in length and said a row broke out over “something trivial” and the victim stood up and pointed or gestured at Doak.
Street preacher sentenced after foul-mouthed rant and assault appeal ditched
A controversial street preacher has abandoned his bid to avoid being jailed for subjecting the former deputy Lord Mayor of Belfast to a foul-mouthed rant.
Colin Houston, 61, was set to appeal the five-month sentence imposed over shouting abuse at Councillor Paul Doherty and calling security staff “SDLP sodomites” when they asked him to take down a religious flag at City Hall.
But his barrister told Belfast County Court today that the challenge was being withdrawn following “a few moments of quiet reflection”.
As the Christian pastor was led to the cells in handcuffs, Her Honour Judge Natalie Pinkerton indicated the sentence would have been doubled if he had persisted with the appeal.
“You have taken a very sensible course,” she said.
Man awaiting sentence over fatal car crash in court over ‘disorderly behaviour’
A man awaiting sentence over a fatal car accident appeared in court today facing two charges of disorderly behaviour.
Standing in the dock of Belfast Magistrates Court, 28-year-old Martin Olali confirmed his identity and that he understood the two charges against him.
Olali, with an address at Springhill Crescent in Belfast, faces two charges of using disorderly behaviour on North Street in the city.
While a police officer gave evidence that she believed she could connect Olali to the offences, defence counsel Sean Devine told the court there was a challenge to that formal connection.
He argued that the statement of the arresting officer did not make it clear that she herself had seen Olali’s alleged behaviour.
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