Man charged with murder after 'frenzied attack' in Portadown

A man has been charged with the murder of 49-year-old Rolandas Kvederis.

The court heard that Mr Kvederis was stabbed seven times in his neck and lower back and the tip of a knife was discovered embedded into the bone of his neck.

51-year-old Ruslanas Kovalkovas, who is a Lithuanian national, appeared at Lisburn Magistrates' Court charged with murder.

He told the court through an interrupter: "I did not kill him; I was defending myself".

The court heard that police received a 999 call from the daughter of another man who lived with Mr Kvederis and Kovalkovas.

When the police arrived, there was "a large pool of blood" and they found Mr Kvederis lying at the top of the stairs.

A detective sergeant told the court that he "had been stabbed" and a "knife was found nearby beside the sink, and a smaller knife was found on the kitchen table".

There "wasn't evidence of any disturbance in the flat," they added.

The court heard when questioned by police the defendant didn't reply but later made an unsolicited comment, saying, "he came at me with a knife. I was defending myself".

The court also heard that the deceased had "no defensive injuries".

The detective sergeant told the court that in police interviews the accused said there was a disagreement in the flat and that the deceased "had been drinking and was very drunk".

He told police that Mr Kvederis "began poking" him with a knife. Kovalkovas said he "shouted I am being killed then made an automatic movement to his throat and stabbed him three times".

The court heard there was a "scuffle" and that Kovalkovas told police: "I didn't want to do this. I had no choice. Otherwise, I'd have been dead."

A solicitor representing Kovalkovas told the court this case was "self-defence" and his client told police, "it was me or him".

The detective sergeant replied saying the police "had a duty to protect the public" and said because this "was a frenzied attack, self-defence or not", it would be for a jury to decide at a further date.

Bail was refused and he was remanded into custody to appear again on 24 April via videolink.