Antrim: Man was found in pool of blood in kitchen of his home, court hears

Details emerged at Antrim Magistrates' Court, sitting in Ballymena, on Tuesday, April 15 where a relative of the man is accused of attempting to murder him.

Barry Heaney (53), with an address listed as Riverside in Antrim, is charged in relation to Friday, January 24 this year.

He has been on remand in prison and appeared at court via video link.

Police charged him with attempted murder following a report of an assault in the Menin Road area of Antrim.

A prosecutor had told an earlier court the injured party was "in a medically-induced coma".

Another court was told:"The injured party is currently being seen as an outpatient with the Regional Acquired Brain Injury Unit".

Tuesday's court heard the defendant had a previously clear record.

A police officer told the court that at 1.55pm on January 24, police received a report from a resident of Menin Road reporting that a neighbour had been assaulted, was unconscious and was bleeding from his head.

The defendant was at the scene.

Ambulance staff found the injured man in a "critical condition with a serious head injury". There was a large amount of blood in the kitchen which was a "chaotic" scene with a table upturned and broken kitchen chairs with blood on the legs.

There was a "pool" of blood under the injured man; a large amount of blood on his head and and there were blood spatters on the wall and ceiling.

The defendant was in an induced coma for a number of days and received 40 stitches to a head wound and had a broken nose.

Initially he was described as being in a "critical" condition but was released from hospital on March 16 and has "help" coming to his house to make him dinner and get him into bed.

The officer said a nurse from a brain injury unit said there is a "brain injury" as the defendant has "physical and cognitive difficulties".

The officer said the defendant was "kept" at the scene by neighbours.

The court was told an approach had been made to the injured man when he got out of hospital asking him if he would withdraw his statement.

He gave a statement but then "thought better of it".

When interviewed, the defendant said his electric had been off because of Storm Éowyn and he had called at his relative's home to get a phone charged.

A defence barrister said the defendant has already spent three months on remand in custody.

District Judge Natasha Fitzsimons said a report showed the defendant had been under-reporting use of cannabis and had been displaying "paranoid thinking".

She refused bail on the grounds of risk of reoffending and risk of interference with witnesses.

The case was adjourned to May 13.