A MAN accused of stabbing a senior loyalist outside a packed supermarket in north Belfast on Wednesday has made a full and frank admission of his role in the incident, a court heard yesterday.
David Madine (40), who is charged with the attempted murder of leading UVF figure Harry Stockman (50), asked for his apologies to be passed to customers and staff for the “unsavoury and violent” scene at the Tesco store on the Ballygomartin Road, his lawyer told Belfast Magistrates’ Court.
Madine, from Innishargie Gardens in Bangor, shouted and swore from the dock during his brief appearance, branding Mr Stockman a “f****** tout”.
He is accused of repeatedly stabbing the loyalist at the supermarket in front of shoppers at about 4.30pm on Wednesday.
Mr Stockman is in a stable condition in hospital after undergoing emergency surgery.
With a heavy police presence inside and outside court, Mr Madine acknowledged supporters in the public gallery as he was led into the dock. Applying for bail, his lawyer, Denis Moloney, told District Judge Fiona Bagnall the incident was not premeditated. “He did make it abundantly clear there was nothing premeditated, this was a chance encounter,” he said. “This was a chance encounter, a most regrettable incident, and the defendant was most full and frank to the authorities.”
A senior police officer objected strongly to bail, arguing there was a serious risk to the safety of the defendant and his family.
“The injured party would be, it’s fair to say, a prominent senior loyalist within the Shankill Road area,” he said.
At this point, Mr Madine, with short dark hair and a goatee beard and wearing a T-shirt exposing heavily tattooed arms, shouted: “He’s a f****** tout, that’s what he is.” Judge Bagnall ordered him to be quiet and said if he continued to disrupt proceedings he would be removed and the hearing would continue in his absence.
Mr Madine again responded: “What are you going to give me? Another 20 days?” The officer said he feared there would be a risk to public safety if the defendant was bailed and revealed a number of people had already moved from the Shankill area after the attack.
Earlier, the accused had interrupted his own lawyer to correct the pronunciation of his name.
Mr Moloney had asked the police officer to confirm his client had co-operated fully. The officer agreed Mr Madine had answered all questions and co-operated with police in interview after his arrest on Twaddell Avenue, near the Shankill, shortly after the attack.
Mr Moloney told the court his client wanted to say sorry to those who witnessed the incident. “He sincerely apologised to staff and customers at Tesco yesterday for what was a most violent and unsavoury incident that arose,” he said.
Judge Bagnall refused bail and remanded the accused in custody to appear again on May 19th.