A teenager accused of the murder of Christopher Meli a year ago has allegedly been involved in fights while in custody, a court has heard.
Objecting to Lee Smyth (18) being granted bail at Lisburn Magistrates Court, a detective sergeant claimed he had been involved in attacking "an immigration detainee" along with five or six other young offenders centre inmates.
While no formal charges had been laid, the officer further claimed that Smyth has been involved in three other incidents involving violence while on remand.
He again conceded that no formal charges had been laid against the teenager, adding that "they have been dealt with internally".
The detective said while his two co-accused were freed on bail, police still had objections to Smyth being released because "his continued use of violence puts him at a greater risk of reoffending".
Smyth, from Colinbrook Gardens, is accused along with two other Belfast teenagers - 18-year-old Stephen McCann, from Bearnagh Glen, and a 17-year-old who cannot be identified because of his age - of the murder of Christopher Meli (20) on December 12 last year.
The father-of-one was found dead in the Glasvey Close area of the Twinbrook estate.
A defence solicitor told the court that a previous allegation of assault dating back to January 2014 had been directed as "no prosecution" so a plank of the police objections of fear of reoffending had fallen away.
He added that he had a proposed address far removed from west Belfast and "negative peer influences".
"If you want to create a risk then a risk can be created but I'm asking you to look at it that the risk can be managed."
Refusing to release Smyth, however, District Judge Rosie Watters said that even with the previous allegation being dropped, "I'm a little bit concerned that even whilst in custody he has managed to get himself involved in trouble."
