Four Antrim men accused of a “vicious attack” where their alleged victim was kicked about the head and body before a car “shunted him up the footpath” have been refused bail.
Jarlath Jones (23), Jake McClaffery (24), Tyrone McCormick (22) and Sean Healy (32) were remanded into custody at Antrim Magistrates Court
All four are jointly accused on a number of charges including attempting to cause grievous bodily harm to Paul O’Kane, driving a Mazda car while unfit, failing to report, remain and stop after a road traffic collision.
McCormick, from Glenville Crescent in Cushendall and Jones, from Beachlands in Carnlough, both face four counts of common assault and two of causing actual bodily harm while McClaffery, from Rockfield Row, Cargan, faces five assault and one ABH and Healy, from Kilnadore Crescent, also in Cushendall, faces six counts of common assault.
McClafferty and McCormick were further charged with obstructing police and the theft of an envelope and handbag, with all charges allegedly committed on August 18.
The court was told the victim was attacked outside a bar on Main Street in Armoy at around 01.10 am when he was “repeatedly kicked about the head and body until he was unconscious.”
A police officer said that while he lay unconscious, face down on the footpath, “one of the defendants, I believe Mr Healy, approached Mr O’Kane, raises his head off the ground and bit his nose.”
The detective told the court that from CCTV footage of the incident, staff and customers came out from the bar to assist the victim but the forage then shows a car “on the footpath colliding with Mr O’Kane who is still on the floor and shunts him up the footpath.”
“The witnesses would say that the four males involved in the assault get out of the car and then proceeded to assault the other victims named,” said the officer.
The court heard the car left the scene but was located around three miles away at Magherahoney, almost two hours after the incident.
Each of the defendants were arrested close to the area where the car was found - McCormick hiding under a bin, McClafferty hiding below a car with Jones and Healey “found together in a field.”
DC Wilkinson revealed that police believe the four had “swapped clothing” in the intervening period between the incident and their arrests, further revealing that one defendant had only one shoe and Jones was wearing “two right shoes.”
Three other shoes, said the officer, have not been found and police are searching for them.
Mr O’Kane has suffered “numerous cuts and bruises” but the court heard that he has since been discharged from hospital.
All four will appear at Coleraine Magistrates Court, via videolink, on September 16.