A Cistercian monk, a native of Lifford, Co Donegal, who is in custody on a number of sex charges including an alleged rape, was at the centre of a prison blunder yesterday which involved mislaid paperwork.
The 48 year old defendant was to have appeared at Derry magistrate's court for a preliminary inquiry.
He denies a charge of raping a woman and also denies three charges of indecently assaulting the same woman.
The offences are alleged to have occurred between June 2nd, 1987 and November 30th, 1987.
He had been remanded in custody to Magilligan prison in Co Derry following an earlier remand appearance on the same charges.
The defence solicitor, Mr Barra McCrory, told the resident magistrate, Mr Des Perry, that the prison authorities had failed to convey his client to court because they had mislaid the necessary paperwork in relation to his appearance.
The hearing was adjourned for a week.