Man remanded on murder charge

Clement 'Clem' Byrne (with face covered) at Bray District Court today. Photograph: Bryan O'Brien/The Irish Times

A man flown in from England to face a charge of murder denied the killing when charged, a court has heard.

Clement 'Clem' Byrne (48) appeared in Bray District Court today in connection with the murder of Steven O’Meara in Wicklow in August 2009.

He stands accused of committing murder on or about August 6th 2009.

"I didn’t kill him," Mr Byrne told gardaí in reply to caution at Wicklow Garda station yesterday, the court was told.

He was arrested at Dublin airport at 8.15pm last night by Det Sergeant Fergus O’Brien of Wicklow Garda station.

Mr Byrne had been arrested in the UK almost two weeks ago on foot of a European arrest warrant.

The body of 26-year old Mr O’Meara, from Wicklow town, was found in a shallow grave at Ballydonnell near Redcross on Christmas Eve 2009. He had been missing since August of that year.

Inspector Declan McCarthy of Bray Garda station told Judge Murrough Connellan that Mr Byrne’s address in Ireland is in Rathdrum, County Wicklow.

Mr Byrne made an application for legal aid and is represented by David Gibbons.

He was remanded in custody to Cloverhill District Court on February 3rd.