Omagh man remanded in custody after brawl at local supermarket

A MAN has appeared in court after a brawl in an Omagh supermarket spilled out on to the street yesterday afternoon.

Martin McDonagh (22), of Culmore Park, who is charged with assault causing actual bodily harm, was brought before Omagh Magistrates Court this morning.

The defendant was arrested yesterday after the incident at the Iceland retail premises on the Kevlin Road.

A PSNI detective told the court that the offence occurred in front of families and members of the public doing their shopping and caused ‘public outrage’.

The detective connected the defendant to the charge and told the court he was opposing bail due to an ongoing family feud.

The court heard McDonagh was already under police investigation for a previous assault on the alleged injured party’s father in early August as part of the feud.

The police cited that bail should be opposed to avoid escalation and retaliation in response to the assault, with a high likelihood that the defendant would reoffend.

The court heard that statements were taken on body-worn camera from the defendant and co-accused at the scene, however the injured party was unable to give his side due to the severity of his injuries.

Applying for bail, the defence lawyer noted that McDonagh lives at the other side of the town to the alleged injured party.

Additionally he added that the defendant gave a full account at the scene and had no previous record.

It was noted that McDonagh had a right to presumption of innocence and was willing to fully cooperate with any conditions imposed if bail would be granted, having been described as “well-connected to the community”.

However District Judge Bernie Kelly was not satisfied that conditions could be adhered to, making reference to the fact McDonagh was on police bail for a related matter when the offence occurred.

“There is a high risk of reoffending and I fear that (the defendant) will not adhere to bail conditions and there is a high risk of a similar type of offence being committed again,” the judge observed.

Bail was refused for McDonagh and he will appear before Omagh Magistrates Court again on October 10.