A 34-year-old woman appeared before Ballymena Magistrates’ Court on Saturday morning, charged with the alleged murder of Paddy Douglas, following a fire at his flat. The incident occurred in the Main Street area of Ballymoney on the morning of Tuesday, July 1.
During the proceedings, a police officer testified that she could connect the defendant to the murder charge. The defendant, who cannot be named at this time, stood in the dock and confirmed her understanding of the charge against her.
Representing the defendant, Ms. Emma McCann informed the court that there would be no application for bail; however, she had several inquiries for the police officer regarding the case.
During the questioning, it was revealed that the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service (NIFRS) initially stated on July 2 that the cause of the fire was believed to be accidental. The court learned that the defendant ‘spoken with the police’ and was ‘in their company’ on July 1, but she was not arrested until the evening of July 3.
The police officer confirmed that a preliminary report from a forensic science officer indicated that ‘an electrical fault may have occured’. When Ms. McCann pressed for clarification, she noted that there was no statement during the defendant’s interview to suggest anything contrary to the initial assessment of accidental cause. The police officer refuted this, quoting the forensic report which said, from the information received and from (his) examination to date, the fire may have been caused by direct ignition of combustible materials and (he) can not exclude an electrical fault may have occurred’.
Ms. McCann made an application to restrict the reporting of the defendant’s name, which was granted by District Judge Nigel Broderick.
The defendant was remanded and the case has been adjourned and is set to be heard again at Coleraine Magistrates’ Court on July 28.