Lurgan attack victim suffers potentially life threatening head injury, court told

An assault victim is unconscious and on a ventilator in the Royal Victoria Hospital Intensive Care Unit having sustained “potentially life threatening head injury,” a court has been told.

Lisburn Magistrates Court also heard that as a result of the assault, 31-year-old Glenn King is “under serious threat from an organised crime group in the Lurgan/Craigavon area".

The court was also told it was thought the alleged victim was part of the of the gang and "there’s a severe threat of retaliation”.

Appearing at court by videolink from police custody, heavily tattooed King confirmed that he understood the single charge against him alleging that he inflicted grievous bodily harm on the complainant with intent on 17 June this year.

Giving evidence a detective constable said he believed he could connect King to the offence, adding that police were “strongly objecting to bail” saying it appeared the witnesses "have gone to ground".

Outlining the police case, he told the court officers had been called to an address at Beech Court in Lurgan on Saturday evening by an ambulance crew as they were dealing with “an aggressive patient".

When officers arrived, King was standing in the doorway of the house, bleeding from a chin injury, while his alleged victim was lying unconscious on the sofa and there was also two women in the house.

Enquiries established the women were mother and daughter, that King was in a relationship with the 19-year-old daughter and the complainant with the mother, the officer said.

The detective said all four had been drinking heavily and “there was mention of cocaine and the use of Pregabalin”.

DC Riordan said while there were no formal statements at the moment, it appeared there had been an argument between the complainant and King’s teenage girlfriend and when she was allegedly pushed, there was a “physical fight” between King and the alleged victim.

“At some stage that spilled out in to the street and both parties threw punches at each other and Mr King punched him to the face, causing him to fall back and hit his head on the concrete, knocking him unconscious,” said the detective.

Officers at the scene noted a “pool of blood at that location” and while King was taken into custody, his alleged victim was taken to RVH where he remains on life support in ICU.

Although King accepted he was there, he refused to answer any other police questions during his interviews and DC Riordan revealed the two women have not made statements and see to “have gone to ground”.

Defence solicitor Gabriel Ingram suggested that given the police case as it stands, there may be an issue regarding self defence, arguing that with an alternative address that bail could be granted with conditions.

However, District Judge Rosie Watters refused bail and remanded King back into custody.

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