FIVE Cookstown, Co Tyrone, men have been remanded in custody charged with murdering Mr George Scott (31) in the town on Sunday night.
The accused, with addresses in the town, are: Mr Roger Crooks (22), of McKinney Park; brothers Mr Gary McGucken (30) and Mr Mark McGucken (35), both from Milburn Close; Mr Robert Stewart (39) and Mr George Watterson (29), both of Stewart Avenue.
The magistrate, Mr Robert Alcorn, remanded the men to Maze Magistrates Court on October 9th when they appeared at a special sitting of Cookstown Magistrates Court yesterday.
Mr Scott was beaten to death in front of his 20 year old girlfriend by masked men with baseball bats who burst in to his flat at Killymoon Road at about 10 p.m.
Giving evidence at yesterday's hearing, a detective chief inspector said that when Mr Crooks was arrested and charged, he replied: "I'm sorry. It wasn't meant to end up the way it did." Mr Mark McGucken replied "No" answer to the charge and Mr Gary McGucken said: "I didn't go there with the intention of killing anybody. I feel very sorry. Mr Stewart was said to have replied: "I'm not guilty."
The fifth accused, Mr Watterson, was said to have replied to the charge: "Not guilty to it."