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Man accused of assaulting female and perverting course of justice to face Crown Court

He was released on continuing bail to appear before Craigavon Crown Court in October

Craigavon Court

A Portadown man accused of assaulting a female and perverting the course of justice is to face Crown Court proceedings next month.

The 30-year-old appeared at Craigavon Magistrates’ Court for the purposes of a preliminary enquiry (PE), the legal process during which a case is referred to the higher court.

David Kenneth Love, of Festival Road, is charged with assault occasioning actual bodily harm, threats to kill and two counts of perverting the court of justice.

As the charges were read, is was heard that all of the offences were alleged to have occurred between April 5 and April 8, of this year, with a single female injured party

The particulars alleged that on a date between April 5 and April 8, the defendant assaulted a female occasioning her actual bodily harm.

Love is further accused of making a threat to kill the same female on April 5.

Both allegations of perverting the court of justice relate to text messages to the same alleged injured party.

In these, Love is alleged to have instructed the female to report that they had not been at his home and advising her that he had reported that he threw an item at her and that nothing else occurred.

Appearing in the body of the court, the defendant made no objection to the holding of a preliminary enquiry.

Prosecution submitted that based on the papers before the court there was a prima facie case to answer.

Defence barrister Aaron Thompson made no contrary submissions.

District Judge Bernie Kelly was satisfied there was a prima facie case to answer and the defendant was released on continuing bail to appear before Craigavon Crown Court on October 14 for arraignment.

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