Man in court over 'racially motivated' stabbing

A 24-year-old man has appeared in court in Londonderry charged with what has been described as a racially motivated stabbing in the city.

Daniel Murphy, from Moyraverty Meadows in Craigavon, is charged with wounding a man with intent to do grievous bodily harm on 13 October.

He is also accused of having a knife with intent to wound and stealing a soft drink on the same date.

The district judge at Londonderry Magistrates’ Court remanded him in custody to appear again on 7 November.

A police officer told the court police were called by the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service (NIAS) at around 01.40 BST on Sunday, reporting that they were on their way to a stabbing in Foyle Street.

Officers found the alleged injured party at a shop suffering from stab wounds to his shoulder and abdomen, the court was told.

There was a large amount of blood in the shop and the perpetrator was said to have run off.

The injured party was taken to Altnagelvin Hospital and the wound to his shoulder was so deep, it had chipped a bone.

The officer said that the defendant had left a rucksack behind which when searched was found to have a letter addressed to him inside.

At around 02:00 BST, police received a report that a man had allegedly been knocked down in the Carlisle Road area, the court was told.

There they found Mr Murphy covered in blood but with no visible signs of injury.

Police were told the defendant had been observed in Foyle Street, entering the shop while acting erratically.

The court was told Mr Murphy was said to have lifted a soft drink and started drinking from it.

When approached by the alleged victim, the defendant told him: “Get out of the country, go back to where you came from.”

The accused allegedly tried to leave without paying for the soft drink and a struggle ensued.

The injured party grabbed the rucksack, the court was told, to stop Mr Murphy leaving.

The injured party felt several blows but didn't realise there was a knife involved until alerted to it by members of the public.

The defendant initially made no comment during police interview, before giving prepared statement denying any intent to murder or wound.

He said that he was “set upon” and had defended himself.

Opposing bail, police said the defendant was a “danger to the public” and had been convicted for an assault occasioning actual bodily harm earlier this year.

A defence barrister accepted this was a serious offence but said that the alleged victim was a stranger to his client.

He told the court his client would not be in the city regularly and had an address well outside the jurisdiction.

District Judge Michael Ranaghan said that the offences were at “the higher end of the scale" and he refused bail.