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Two in court over Mark Dorrian murder in Newtownards

PSNI Mak Dorrian. He has brown hair and wearing a blue t-shirt. A brown fence can be seen in the background.PSNI
Mark Dorrian, 50, was found unconscious at a block of flats in West Street, Newtownards, in the early hours of Thursday morning

Two people have appeared in court charged with the murder of Mark Dorrian in Newtownards, County Down, on Boxing Day.

Claire Rees, 33, of no fixed abode, and Carl Kerr, 36, from Corry Street in Newtownards, appeared at Downpatrick Magistrates' Court on Monday.

Mr Dorrian was found unconscious in a flat on West Street shortly before 01:50 GMT.

He had sustained several injuries, including head wounds, and later died in hospital.

Pacemaker Press Shows a police car in yellow blue and white colours with the word "police" on the side entering a court complex. Pacemaker Press
The pair appeared in court in Downpatrick on Monday

Audio recording

The accused both appeared in the dock in handcuffs and wearing grey tracksuits.

They spoke only to confirm their names, dates of birth, addresses and that they understood the charges against them.

A detective sergeant told the court he could connect the pair to the charges.

He said an emergency pull cord was activated in the apartment after Mr Dorrian was attacked.

The court was told it triggered approximately 50 minutes of an audio recording, some of which is clear and other parts are hard to make out.

The detective sergeant confirmed there was a footprint on Mr Dorrian's head.

He said the footwear of the accused Carl Kerr could be excluded but that the audio recording, phone evidence and "a lot of CCTV" connected him to the scene.

Defence lawyer Joe Mulholland disputed that and said there were "no independent witnesses".

Solicitor John Finucane, who was acting for Ms Rees, said he had no questions for the detective at this stage.

No application for bail was made on behalf of either defendant

Deputy District Judge Copeland remanded the pair in custody to appear by videolink in Newtownards Magistrates' Court on 22 January.