Raymond O'Neill remanded over murder and arson charges

This report is a localnews.ie summary based on public court reporting and records; sources are listed below.

Raymond O'Neill appeared at Belfast Magistrates' Court on 21 November 2018 and was remanded in custody after being extradited from the Republic of Ireland. He faces charges of murder and arson endangering life in connection with the death of Jennifer Dornan.

Ms Dornan, a mother-of-three, was found stabbed inside her burning home at Hazel View in west Belfast in August 2015. O'Neill is also separately charged with the rape of another woman in 2003.

Defence solicitor Paul Farrell applied for bail. He claimed O'Neill was not forensically connected to the murder and that only clothing and hairstyle evidence linked him to allegedly entering Ms Dornan's home.

Mr Farrell also raised concerns about the separate rape allegation, saying an initial decision had been taken not to prosecute in 2005 before a review more than a decade later.

District Judge Paul Copeland refused bail, citing the potential for absconding. He directed O'Neill's production for a preliminary enquiry at Laganside Courts in Belfast on 4 December 2018.