A 25-year-old man from Killough Gardens in Lurgan, County Armagh, was refused bail at court on charges including causing grievous bodily harm, assault occasioning actual bodily harm, and possessing Class A drugs.

Oisin McDonald faces further charges of theft, criminal damage, and fraud. Police responded to apartments on William Street in Lurgan on March 11 after a woman was seen running from the location with blood on her face.

Officers found blood on stairway walls and kitchen floor inside a flat littered with debris. McDonald was hiding behind a sofa under cushions, sweating and agitated, with blood on his hands.

A small bag of white powder suspected to be drugs sat on a television cabinet. The woman, 12 weeks pregnant, initially declined to complain in hospital but later reported physical and verbal abuse in the relationship.

She stated an argument started over McDonald buying cocaine. Prosecution counsel Mark O’Connor outlined that McDonald struck her head with his phone, punched and slapped her face, punched her back of the head, kicked her body, pulled her by the hair into the property, and punched her stomach while expressing hope the baby would die.

McDonald denied the allegations in police interviews. He said his girlfriend tripped over a bicycle, fell on stairs, hit her head, and he stemmed the bleeding before a relative took her to hospital.

Lord Justice Colton noted McDonald’s mental health issues including ADHD, autism, and sensory processing disorder, plus addiction problems. The judge ordered custody to protect the complainant, citing concerns over non-compliance with bail conditions.