Due to the outstanding issues including medical reports, Madam Justice McBride said it made no sense to set a date today for the trial to commence
A Strabane man appeared in court today where he denied murdering father-of-two Stephen Holmes.
Mr Holmes, 31, passed away in hospital last February following an assault in a house in the Beechmount Village area of Strabane.
The man accused of his murder appeared in the dock of Belfast Crown Court today where he was flanked by two prison officers.
From Beechmount Village, Dylan McCrossan – whose brother is West Tyrone SDLP MLA Daniel McCrossan – confirmed his identity to a court clerk.
The 33-year old was then charged with murdering Stephen Holmes on February 8, 2025 and when asked how he pleaded, McCrossan replied “not guilty.”
After his client was arraigned, a defence barrister told Madam Justice McBride a medic has been engaged to carry out an assessment and report on McCrossan.
The barrister revealed the doctor and McCrossan have met twice and that the “only matter” now delaying the report was that the medic “wants to explore the previous criminal record” of the accused.
He added that the doctor has “indicated to us that he will have the report with us within a matter of weeks once he receives that.”
McCrossan’s barrister also told Madam Justice McBride that once the medical report is received, it may have a “potential knock-on effect in terms of the defence statement.”
In response, a Crown barrister told the Judge that the prosecution “may need” to instruct its own medical expert once the defence report has been received.
When Madam Justice McBride enquired about how long the trial is estimated to last, she was informed it will take between two to three weeks.
Due to the outstanding issues including medical reports, Madam Justice McBride said it made no sense to set a date today for the trial to commence.
Instead, the senior judge said she would review the case on September 18 when there was a “possibility” of moving towards setting a date for the murder trial.
She also granted a defence request for McCrossan to appear via videolink for the review and following his arraignment, he was remanded back into custody.
No details concerning the fatal incident were aired today – but during a previous court hearing it emerged that Mr Holmes sustained what the PSNI described as “significant injuries” on February 3, 2025.
The Strabane man was initially taken to Altnagelvin Hospital in Derry before being transferred to the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast where he passed away on February 8.
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