Northern Ireland

Man pleads guilty to the murder of his friend

Laganside Court in Belfast
Laganside Court in Belfast Laganside Court in Belfast

AN east Belfast man has pleaded guilty to the murder of his friend in a house.

Kenneth Cowan (29), of Titania Street in the Cregagh area, was due to go on trial in January next year.

At an arraignment hearing in September before Belfast Crown Court, Cowan had denied murdering his friend Brian Anthony Burke at a house in the area.

But at the same court yesterday, a defence barrister asked Belfast Recorder Judge David McFarland for Cowan to be re-arrainged on the single charge he faced.

When the charge of murder was put Cowan, the clerk of the court asked if he was pleading guilty or not guilty.

Flanked by prison officers in the dock, Cowan replied "Guilty'.

In light of his guilty plea, Judge McFarland said he was imposing an immediate sentence of life imprisonment.

The Belfast Recorder said that a tariff hearing would be held on Friday, February 1, to determine how long Cowan will spend in prison before he is eligible to apply for parole.

No details were given in court about the murder.

Following his guilty plea to murder, Cowan was remanded in custody to Maghaberry prison to await the tariff ruling.