A man suffered burn injuries after having hot water thrown on him at a Co Tyrone courthouse on Thursday.
A row broke out in Strabane Magistrates Court in advance of a committal hearing in a murder case.
An ambulance attended the courthouse after a man was scalded on his face, neck and shoulder after being doused in boiling water at a courtroom door. He was taken to hospital for treatment. The assailant is understood to have had a kettle that was boiled elsewhere in the building.
The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) said it received a report about the incident shortly before 11am.
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“The suspect is reported to have run away from the scene, and police efforts are ongoing to identify, locate and apprehend the suspect,” the PSNI said.
The incident happened as a hearing in relation to the death of Stephen Holmes (31), who suffered serious injuries during an alleged incident in Strabane on February 3rd, 2025, and died in hospital days later, was due to take place.
Dylan McCrossan (32), from Beechmount Village, Strabane, was initially charged with inflicting grievously bodily harm and was subsequently brought back to court and charged with murder.
When a committal hearing to transfer the case for trial was due to take place on Thursday, a scuffle broke out at the rear of the court. District Judge Alana McSorley immediately halted the proceedings.
A court official dashed into the courtroom seconds later and grabbed a jug of water from one of the benches. This was used to cool the man’s scald injuries while an ambulance was awaited.
The court resumed some two hours later, but the judge said that after consulting with the Office of the Lady Chief Justice, the committal hearing would be adjourned until May 14th.
