Two appear in court charged with Barry Furfey murder

Barry Furfey was found with serious injuries at an apartment building in Lisburn on Monday morning

A man and a woman have appeared in court charged with the murder of Barry Furfey in Lisburn.

The 42-year-old was found with serious injuries at an apartment building on the Wardsborough Road on Monday morning. He was given medical treatment at the scene but later died in hospital.

Jamie Lawrie Spence, 37, of no fixed abode in Belfast and Melissa Atkinson, 38, of Wardsborough Road, Lisburn, appeared before Craigavon Magistrates' Court on Wednesday.

Both are charged with Mr Furfey's murder.

No bail application was made on behalf of Mr Spence but Ms Atkinson's team did lodge an application.

This led to a Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) detective inspector outlining details of the case.

She said that at 00:49 BST on Monday a security guard at an apartment complex reported that a male was unwell from a suspected drugs overdose. An ambulance was tasked to the scene.

However the security guard became concerned and also called the police.

The court heard that on arrival the emergency services found Mr Furfey unconscious and he was given CPR. He was taken to the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast but died in intensive care at 06:00 BST.

The detective constable said that police observed bruising to the deceased's face and head. Hospital staff also observed injuries.

The court heard that both Mr Spence and Ms Atkinson had bruised knuckles and that there was blood on Ms Atkinsons top.

The court also heard that Mr Spence told police that he had punched Mr Furfey twice after Mr Furfey had touched Ms Atkinsons's leg. He said they had shaken hands afterwards.

Floral tributes have been left to Mr Furfey near the murder scene

Later, Mr Spence claimed that Mr Furfey had fallen off his chair, causing his injuries.

These included blunt force trauma to the head and rib fractures that police said were not consistent with a fall.

The court heard Ms Atkinson said she was unaware of any leg touching and hadn't seen an altercation.

However, police said that in Mr Spence's account Ms Atkinson was present at the time.

Ms Atkinson said that the blood on her clothing had come from her foot after a glass smashed in her home.

Refusing bail, District Judge Michael Ranaghan told Ms Atkinson: "There is evidence of a disturbance in the flat where you were present."

He added: "The blood on your clothing now needs further investigating."

Both defendants will appear in court again on 13 October via videolink.