Barrister is seeking medical notes for Portadown man accused of attempted sexual communication with a child, Craigavon court hears
A barrister for a Co Armagh man, accused of attempting to sexually communicate with a child, has said they are seeking medical notes regarding his fitness to plead.
Peter Lyness, aged 37, from Derryall Road, Portadown, who didn’t appear before Craigavon Magistrates Court on Friday, is charged with the attempted sexual communication with a child, making indecent photographs or pseudo photographs of a child, possessing an indecent photo of a child and possession of an extreme pornographic image.
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The charges are dated from August 21, 2020 to October 30, 2023.
The matter was listed to fix a date for a Preliminary Enquiry however a prosecutor said the file has just been allocated to a prosecutor and no decision has been entered as yet. She asked for a four-week adjournment.
Lyness’ barrister,Ms Ciara Ennis, said she had hoped the file would have ‘progressed’.
She said: “Your Worship may recall that the defendant was very distressed at the last court appearance which is why he was excused. I have indicated that it was our intention prior to PE that we would be seeking fitness to plead as there is a significant mental health history.”
Ms Ennis outlined the steps her instructing solicitor had taken in getting medical notes from the defendant’s GP and Bluestone. She revealed that there is a 90-day waiting list regarding releasing medical notes from Bluestone.
"This man had previous admissions which are very relevant,” said Ms Ennis, adding medical experts were being sought for the case.
The case was adjourned by District Judge Michael Ranaghan until October 3 for a review.