Paddy Douglas: Woman appears in court on murder charge after death of man following Ballymoney house fire

The defendant was escorted into court by police, walking within close distance of the victim’s grieving family and friends in the public gallery.

Appearing in the dock of Ballymena Magistrates Court, the alleged killer, who cannot be named as the result of a reporting restriction, confirmed that she understood the single charge against her.

Mr Douglas, who was 55, tragically died following a house fire in the Main Street area of Ballymoney on Tuesday, July 1.

Giving evidence to the court, a detective constable said he was aware of the background and he believed he could connect the defendant to the charge.

A defence solicitor did not challenge the connection and she confirmed there was no bail application to be lodged at this stage.

The solicitor told the court there was a statement from a firefighter that suggested the fire could have been started by an electrical fault at a plug.

The detective added however, that a report from a forensic scientist had opined that the fire “may have been caused by direct ignition of combustible materials”.

The defence solicitor said that the report stated that an electrical fault causing the fire “could not be excluded”.

The solicitor confirmed again that while she was not asking for bail, there was an application for a reporting restriction regarding identification of the defendant in this case.

Remanding the alleged killer into custody and adjourning the case to July 28, District Judge Nigel Broderick imposed the reporting restriction.