Everything possible is being done to fast-track an investigation into the fatal stabbing of a woman during a "sexual exchange" in Limerick, a Belfast court has heard.
Habib Shamel (32) is currently in custody charged with the murder of Geila Ibram on April 4 this year.
The 27-year-old victim’s mutilated body was discovered at an apartment block in the Dock Road area of Limerick.
Ms Ibram, who was originally from Romania, died from multiple stab wounds inflicted to the neck, face and abdomen in a vicious and frenzied attack, according to police.
Shamel, an Afghani national with an address at Cecil Street in Limerick, was later arrested in the Malone area of south Belfast.
He has been charged with Ms Ibram’s murder under the Criminal Jurisdiction Act 1975, which allows the PSNI to prosecute in Northern Ireland if a suspect has travelled from another jurisdiction.
A previous court heard claims that he had arranged a “sexual exchange” with the victim on the day she died.
CCTV footage allegedly showed him arriving at her property and then leaving again less than two minutes later.
Detectives claim he injured his hand during the suspected encounter and attended hospital in Limerick before travelling north by bus.
With the PSNI providing assistance in the murder investigation, Shamel was considered too great a risk to release on bail.
Prosecutors have also disclosed that a formal International Letter of Request (ILOR) has been sought from the authorities in the Republic of Ireland.
Further investigative steps in the probe into Ms Ibram’s killing involve detectives continuing to compile CCTV footage and obtain witness statements.
At Belfast Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday, a Crown lawyer confirmed that the process is ongoing.
But he stressed: “Everything has been done that can be done to expedite this matter".
District Judge Ted Magill agreed to adjourn proceedings for another four weeks.
He directed: “Have Mr Shamel produced (at that hearing)".