Court hears of Eddie Meenan case delay

Three men, Sean Rodgers (31), of Little Diamond, Derek Creswell (27), of no fixed abode, and Ryan Walters (20), of Crawford Square, all in Derry, are charged with the murder of Edward Meenan on November 25 last.

At a bail application for Creswell on Monday the court was told that a proposed date for a preliminary enquiry of October 10 was still going ahead.

However, at a hearing yesterday a solicitor for the Public Prosecution Service (PPS) said that the date would now not be met and asked for an adjournment until October 3 to set a new date.

Creswell’s solicitor Michael McGee told Derry Magistrate’s Court that, at the very least, there were questions to be answered.

‘Questions’

He said: “We were told on Monday everything was positive and ready to proceed on October 10 and the investigating officer said papers had been given to the PPS and everything was in place.

“I had said I thought it was optimistic but this does beg the question as to why we were told one thing on Monday then something different three days later.”

Adjournment

District Judge Barney McElholm, speaking in the Bishop Street Magistrate’s Court yesterday, said that while on Monday the court had been told the post mortem report was outstanding ‘there had been no suggestion the PE was not going to proceed.’

The District Judge said he would not want the case to drag on far after October 10 and adjourned all three until October 3 to se how it will proceed.