Jake Bailey-Sloan: three people deny assaulting man who died after being wounded on a night out in Portadown
Three people – two men and a woman – have denied assaulting a man who was fatally injured while he was on a night out in Portadown.
Standing side by side in the dock at Craigavon Crown Court on Thursday, Odhran Connolly, Ethan Dougan and Beth Vernon all entered a not guilty plea to the single charge against them.
Connolly, 22, from Churchill Park in Portadown; Dougan, 25, from Redrock Road in Armagh and 22-year-old Vernon, from Moyraverty Meadows in Moyraverty, are all charged with common assault of Jake Bailey-Sloan on October 17, 2021.
None of the alleged background facts were opened in court but it was reported at the time how 23-year-old Mr Bailey-Sloan, was injured at Mandeville Street early on Sunday, October 17 and although he was taken to hospital, he died the following day.
The popular young businessman was well known in the area, having converted the disused Blackers Mill into a successful indoor combat games centre.
Appealing for information and witnesses to come forward in the aftermath of the tragedy, a senior police officer said what happened was an "awful thing" and he urged people to "search their souls".
In court on Thursday, prosecuting counsel Joseph Murphy said despite the “tragic background” to the charges, he estimated that the trial would last “no more than three days”, suggesting that the evidence of a number of witnesses could potentially be agreed.
Freeing the three defendants on bail, Judge Patrick McGurgen scheduled the trial to begin on May 14.