News

Four Lithuanians charged in connection with Coalisland murder

Four Lithuanians are to stand trial next year on charges linked to the murder in a Coalisland garage of a fellow national, a Crown Court has heard.

Gediminas Stauskas (32) was found dead in the lock-up at property on the Moore Road near Clonoe in Co Tyrone in October 2015.

Darius Sikorskas (36) from Lambfield House in Dungannon, is charged with murdering Mr Stauskas on a date between October 12 and 15, 2015.

He is also charged with kidnapping a second man and causing him grievous bodily harm with intent on the same dates, and of possessing a hangdun with intent to cause fear of violence.

When the charges were put to Sikorskas at Belfast Crown Court, he replied "not guilty" to all four offences.

Three other men face charges arising from the murder. Marius Dzimisevicius (29) from Cabhan Aluinn in Pomeroy and 43-year old Dmitrijus Indrisiunas of The Shanoch in Coalisland were both charged with assisting offenders, and withholding information.

Both men denied helping to remove "another person" they knew to be involved in the murder from the scene on October 14, 2015 and failing to provide information that could lead to the arrest of that person to police the following day.

Eimantas Lumsys (29) from Hollow Mills Avenue in Newmills, faced the same charge of withholding information which could lead to the arrest of a person in connection with the murder, on dates between October 12 and 18, 2015.

All three men denied each on the charges levelled against them.

Mr Justice Colton was informed that the trial is expected to last several weeks, and will be held at Dungannon Crown Court.

The case will be reviewed again next February ahead of the trial date, which has been set for April 9, 2018.

Whilst Sikorskas was remanded back into custody, the remaining three co-accused - Dzimisevicius, Indrisiunas and Lumsys - were released on continuing bail.