A 22-year-old Ballymena man has appeared before court charged with causing grievous bodily harm to another man and possessing a piece of glass as an offensive weapon.

Sam McDowell, of Moat Road, appeared at Antrim Magistrates Court on Tuesday via video link from prison. The charges relate to an incident on Monday, May 25.

The court heard that police were called to a flat in Dunclug Park, Ballymena, shortly after 5am on that date. A man at the property had reported that windows had been broken.

Officers found another man asleep on a sofa inside the flat. There was blood on the sofa where he lay, and several windows appeared to have been broken from the inside.

The man told police that McDowell had struck him repeatedly around the face and head with his fists and then cut his right arm with a piece of glass. The man had bruising to his face and head, along with a deep laceration to his right arm.

A piece of glass with what appeared to be blood was observed at the scene. The man indicated that an argument about money had taken place before the incident.

During an interview, McDowell said he had consumed cocaine on the Saturday and had been drinking at the flat on the Sunday. He stated that he had been in a poor state after the effects of the drugs wore off and recalled damaging the flat.

McDowell denied causing any injuries to the other man. He said that when he left the flat, the man had not been injured. He told police there had been no argument and that he had packed a bag, gone to a shop, and then obtained a lift to his mother's home on Moat Road.

The court was told that the injured man has since declined to provide a formal statement, telling authorities he does not remember the events.

McDowell, who has 74 previous convictions, was granted bail in the sum of £500. The case has been adjourned until July 7.