Man appears in court charged with New Year's Eve stabbing in Armagh

There are “delicate issues” and an “ongoing police investigation” concerning an Armagh stabbing, a court heard today (Monday).

Appearing at Lisburn Magistrates Court by videolink from police custody, 19-year-old Oisin Smith was charged with four offences arising from an incident on Lower English Street on 31 December last year.

Smith, from Legar Hill in Armagh, faces allegations of wounding with intent, inflicting grievous bodily harm with intent, simple GBH and possessing a weapon, namely a knife, with intent to commit an offence. 

The 17-year-old alleged victim was taken to hospital at around 10.30pm on Saturday evening having sustained a number of stab wounds, including facial wounds and Smith was arrested a short time later.

A Detective Constable said he believed he could connect Smith to each of the charges and confirmed the police had no objections to Smith being freed on bail with conditions.

Defence solicitor Jarlath Fields told District Judge Eamon King “there are delicate issues” relating to the case which “I would not want to go into at this time but it informs the police decision not to object to bail.”

The court rose for a short time while the lawyer, the police officer and the prosecuting lawyer consulted with the judge in chambers and when DJ King came back out, he freed Smith on his own bail of £350.

“You are charged with a serious matter,” he told the defendant, “however the police have no objections to bail and the court has been told there’s an ongoing, live police investigation with the result that there will be no further details given to the court.”

Other bail conditions imposed on Smith are an alcohol ban, an exclusion zone barring him from the Alexander estate and he is also prohibited from contacting his alleged victim.

The case was adjourned to 17 January.

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