A 42-year-old convicted murderer is to appear in court in Derry tomorrow charged with offences relating to his decision to abscond during his murder trial last week.
Last Wednesday James Meehan, together with his wife Brenda and his stepson Sean Devenney, was found unanimously guilty of murdering father of four Jim McFadden outside his home at Moyola Drive in the Shantallow area of Derry in May 2007.
However the day before the jurors returned their guilty verdicts, Meehan, who together with his wife and stepson had been on bail during their eleven-week-long trial, failed to turn up in court and trial judge Mr. Barney McCloskey issued a warrant for Meehan's immediate arrest.
Last Friday Ita McFadden, the widow of murder victim Jim McFadden, appealed for Meehan to turn himself in. Also last Friday Supt Frankie Taylor, who led the murder investigation, described Meehan, who is originally from Kells in Co Meath as "a very dangerous person".
Meehan, who was found guilty of murdering Mr McFadden as a primary party and his wife and stepson who were found guilty of murder as secondary parties, each received the mandatory life sentence when they were convicted. A tariff hearing to determine the length of the time they'll spend in jail is to be held at the crown court in Derry on September 17th.
Meehan, who had been a fugitive for four days, voluntarily handed himself over to the PSNI in Derry yesterday just before 6pm, accompanied by his solicitor.