Bail refused to alleged leader of paramilitary-style beating

An alleged ringleader in a so-called paramilitary-style punishment beating was refused bail on Wednesday amid fears he would interfere with the police investigation.

Standing in the dock of Newtownards Magistrates Court handcuffed to a prison officer, 33-year-old postman Jonathan Paul Vance spoke only to confirm he understood the three charges against him.

Mr Vance, from Eccles Street in Belfast, is accused of inflicting grievous bodily harm on Ian David Price with intent, assaulting Lisa Gordon and committing aggravated burglary at Ms Gordon's home at Bartleys Wood in Ballywalter, Co Down, intending to inflict GBH on anyone in the property and being armed with a hammer at the time of the alleged attack in the early hours of April 6th this year.

‘Leading role’

Det Keown told the court he believed he could connect Mr Vance to each of the charges, and in objecting to his release on bail, claimed he took a “leading role” in a five-man attack on Mr Price and his partner, Ms Gordon.

He described five men armed with hammers, screwdrivers and baseball bats breaking into Ms Gordon’s home at 05.20am on Monday last.

Disturbed from sleep, Ms Gordon met the men on the stairs and tried to stop them getting to her partner, but Mr Vance allegedly “grabbed her by the throat” while two alleged accomplices pushed past to get to Mr Price.

The officer said he had managed to escape by jumping from an upstairs window, but the gang caught him in an alleyway where he was repeatedly struck with their weapons.

“The defendant has been identified as having struck him on the head with a hammer,” claimed the detective, adding when Ms Gordon threw herself across him in an effort to protect him, “all the males then attacked her”.

Puncture wounds

Mr Price, said the detective, sustained puncture wounds to his left lung, causing it to collapse, as well as to to his scalp, torso and elbow. In addition, he suffered fractures to his right elbow and left ankle.

Ms Gordon was also injured, sustaining numerous cuts and bruises.

Mr Vance was arrested and interviewed, said Det Keown, but he claimed he had been with his girlfriend, Julie Appsley, in Bangor since Good Friday.

The officer disclosed that when she was spoken to, she said Mr Vance left in the early hours after he received a call, but could not be sure what time that was at.

The officer revealed that of the other four men allegedly involved, three were currently in police custody being interviewed and that the last, Mr Vance's brother Dean Vance, was expected to hand himself in to police later on Wednesday.

He told the court police were objecting to bail as Mr Vance knows where the alleged victims live and would be likely to interfere with the ongoing investigation.

Mr Vance’s defence solicitor submitted he had a proposed bail address 30 miles away in the Shankill area of Belfast, and maintained Mr Vance had nothing to do with the incident.

District Judge Mark Hamill said it was "to nobody's surprise" that he was refusing to release Mr Vance on bail due to the risk of interfering with witnesses, and remanded him into custody to appear again on April 24th via videolink.