Health minister Robin Swann will have to testify against a man accused of making repeated threats against him, a court has heard.
Appearing in person at Newtownards Magistrates Court, 45-year-old William Herbert Hawkes entered not guilty pleas to all of the charges against him.
As a result of the denials, his solicitor confirmed that Mr Swann will have to give evidence.
Hawkes, from Ardmillan Crescent in Ards, faces two counts of making a threat to kill Mr Swann and one charge of sending menacing tweets to the health minister on November 15 last year while on a second set of charges, alleged to have been committed on January 22 and 23 this year, Hawkes faces four counts of making a threat to kill and one of sending an offensive or menacing message.
Previous courts have heard claims that Hawkes sent a number of tweets where he labelled the health minister as a “monster, a liar and a killer.”
“He is deliberately killing elderly people,” Hawkes is alleged to have tweeted.
Hawkes was released on continuing bail and the case was adjourned to September 20 to fix a date for the contest.