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| Version 2 | Version 3 |
|---|---|
| Son and wife charged with murder | Son and wife charged with murder |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| A son and daughter-in-law of a Warrenpoint pensioner stabbed to death in June have been charged with murder. | A son and daughter-in-law of a Warrenpoint pensioner stabbed to death in June have been charged with murder. |
| David McCartan, 35, and his wife Geraldine McCartan, 34, of Rossmara Park in Warrenpoint are accused of killing 75-year-old Annie McCartan. | David McCartan, 35, and his wife Geraldine McCartan, 34, of Rossmara Park in Warrenpoint are accused of killing 75-year-old Annie McCartan. |
| She was beaten, stabbed and had her throat cut in her home at Summerhill. | She was beaten, stabbed and had her throat cut in her home at Summerhill. |
| A police officer told Newry Magistrates Court that when charged, both denied involvement. The couple were both remanded in custody. | A police officer told Newry Magistrates Court that when charged, both denied involvement. The couple were both remanded in custody. |
| They had both featured in a recent reconstruction on the BBC's Crimewatch programme. | |
| Friends and members of the McCartan family were among those in a crowded public gallery who saw the brief hearing. | |
| Security was tight around the court dock, but there was no disturbance. | |
| Security was tight at Newry courthouseA solicitor for Geraldine McCartan said that she had co-operated with police and asserted her innocence throughout the investigation. | |
| David McCartan's solicitor told the court that he had also maintained his innocence. | David McCartan's solicitor told the court that he had also maintained his innocence. |
| A detective chief inspector said he had witness evidence, circumstantial evidence, forensic evidence and other evidencewhich he wished to reserve, connecting the accused. | |
| Lengthy surveillance | |
| A solicitor for Geraldine McCartan put it to the policeman that the couple's home had been bugged, and despite lengthy surveillance and interviews, there had been no admission on behalf of his client. | |
| The officer said there were things he knew at the moment which he was not prepared to divulge to the court. | |
| He said that his decision to prosecute the couple had the full support of the Public Prosecution Service, with whom he had liaised. | |
| The couple were remanded in custody to appear in court again via videolink on 20 December. |