A WEST Belfast man has been remanded into custody accused of trying to kill his brother.
Lisburn Magistrates Court heard today that despite 20-year-old Padraig Smedley allegedly stabbing his brother Sean Smedley twice in the head with a carving knife, the wounded man has refused to make any formal complaint against his brother.
Mr Smedley, from Aspen Walk in Dunmurry, appeared in court by videolink from police custody to be charged with two offences arising from an incident at the family home on Saturday - attempted murder and possessing a weapon with intent to commit wounding.
Giving evidence to the court a detective constable said while the complainant had refused to make a formal written statement taken, officers had recorded an account on body worn cameras where he told them there had been a "verbal argument with the defendant that had turned physical".
The court heard that argument had initially been in the living room but Padraig Smedley ran to the kitchen where he took a "large carving knife from the knife block" and swung it twice at his brother's head, inflicting a puncture wound and a "possible fractured jaw".
"He reported seeing blood squirting all over the floor and he shouted for his mother and they both left the property and waiting for the ambulance," the policeman said.
The court heard paramedics contacted police and when officers arrived and arrested Mr Smedley, who told them "it's my medication - he shouldn't have come at me in my own house".
Taken into police custody, the court heard he told the custody sergeant "yeah because I wanted to kill my brother" and, describing Mr Smedley as "angry and volatile" during police interviews, the detective said he had "demonstrated how, when he was swinging his right arm, that he connected with his brother's head".
Under cross examination from defence solicitor Patrick Morgan, the policeman agreed the defendant had sustained a significant brain injury when he was assaulted by his brother and that neither the complainant nor their mother had made any formal police statement.
"He was smacking the Perspex screens while we were trying to get an account from him," the detective said.
He said Mr Smedley's version was that he "ran away from the injured party and into the kitchen and grabbed the knife and he demonstrated how he swung it at his brother's head as the brother ran towards him".
Mr Smedley had applied for bail to return to Liverpool where he lives with his partner and child but District Judge Rosie Watters remanded him into custody and adjourned the case until October 4.
