A man in his 40s has been charged with two counts of rape, three counts of sexual assault, threats to kill, non-fatal strangulation, entering as a trespasser to commit rape, and multiple assault charges including causing actual bodily harm.

At a special sitting of Lisburn Magistrates' Court on an unspecified recent date, a detective constable gave evidence that the alleged assault came to light on 14 August. Staff at the Ulster Hospital contacted police after a woman presented with significant injuries which she said were inflicted by her ex-partner, who was also at the hospital.

The woman told attending officers she had been asleep in bed when she woke to find the defendant standing in her room holding a taser after breaking into the property. She described being physically assaulted, attacked with the taser, and threatened with death before he covered her mouth and raped her twice.

The court heard the man agreed to drive the woman to hospital. During that journey he stopped on a road and discarded the taser. Police later recovered the device. The woman sustained a broken nose and bruising to her face and neck.

The defendant was arrested at the hospital. He provided a pre-prepared statement accepting he had let himself into the house but claiming all activity was consensual. He did not account for the woman's injuries.

The detective constable told the court the woman had made two earlier reports to police. On 19 July the defendant allegedly let himself into her property during the early hours armed with a baseball bat. Three days later she reported he had appeared at her home again.

District Judge Natasha Fitzsimmons questioned why the man was only spoken to by police after those earlier reports and not charged. The detective confirmed the July incidents were marked as a domestic matter and the defendant was simply spoken to.

A defence barrister submitted the accused was a reasonable candidate for bail, citing no record of violence or domestic abuse. Judge Fitzsimmons refused bail, stating that after being spoken to by police about two prior uninvited entries, the defendant allegedly entered the home again and caused significant injury alongside a very violent rape. She concluded no conditions could manage the risks.

The defendant, who cannot be named to protect the woman's identity, is scheduled to appear again by video-link on 7 September.