Fermanagh man remanded on domestic abuse charge

A FERMANAGH man with previous convictions for domestic abuse has been remanded following fresh allegations against the same alleged victim.
At Omagh Magistrates Court on Tuesday, Christopher Boyle (27) with an address given as Maghaberry Prison, was charged following the complaint.
He is charged with assault, criminal damage, resisting police and possession of pregabalin on May 19, with an additional allegation of strangulation between May 1 and 19. He was connected to the charges on Tuesday.
The court heard that on May 19 the complainant claimed to have had an argument with the defendant and called a taxi for him to leave, which he did.
However at 4pm the same day the alleged victim was on the phone to her doctor when she heard a window break in her kitchen.
When she went to investigate she claimed that Boyle had broken in and said ‘do you think you call call the police on me?’.
She claimed that he proceeded to assault her. The doctor phoned back and the complainant asked the doctor to phone the police.
She later claimed that three weeks prior Boyle strangled her during an argument in her bedroom which allegedly left marks on her neck.
Boyle was arrested, which he resisted, and in interview he said he ‘didn’t lay a finger on her’.
The court was told that the man had 96 prior convictions, with his last two offences relating to assaults on the same alleged victim.
Defence counsel Ciaran Roddy said that the accused and the complainant were in a ‘toxic relationship’ which has led to a cycle of allegations.
Mr Roddy explained that during the course of their relationship Boyle has been remanded over multiple complaints, some leading to convictions and some leading to a ‘no prosecution’ decision.
He suggested that Boyle could be bailed to his sisters’s house, which is six miles away from the alleged victim, to allow for them to ‘stay apart’
However district judge Ted Magill refused bail, stating that he ‘couldn’t be satisfied’
there would be no further offences. The case will return to Enniskillen Magistrates Court on June 16 for an update.