A woman has been charged with murder after a man died following a house fire.
Patrick ‘Paddy’ Douglas, 55, died from his injuries in hospital after the blaze in the Main Street area of Ballymoney, Co Antrim, on Tuesday.
On Saturday, a 34-year-old woman appeared before Ballymena Magistrates’ Court charged with his murder.
The accused, who cannot be named for legal reasons, spoke in court only to confirm she understood the charge.
A detective constable told the court she was able to connect the woman to the charge.
Sign up for all of the latest stories
Start your day informed with Metro’s News Updates newsletter or get Breaking News alerts the moment it happens.
The court heard she was spoken to on the morning of the fire and arrested on Wednesday.
After two days of interviews, she was charged on Friday.
The court heard a preliminary report from an expert which effectively said that it was not possible to exclude an electrical fault due to the extent of the fire damage.
However, the detective constable said an expert formed the opinion that the fire may have been caused by direct ignition of combustible materials.
Under questioning, the PSNI representative said the report also says it could not exclude that an electrical fault may have occurred.
There was no application for bail and legal aid was granted.
Under an application from the accused’s legal representative, the judge ordered restrictions on naming the woman.
The case will return to court on July 28.
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
For more stories like this, check our news page.
