PPS withdraw murder charge in 11 yr old case

A man has appeared before Lisburn Magistrates Court charged with murdering a man in Belfast in 2001.

Paul Patrick Walsh from Laurelbank in Dunmurry is accused of murdering Damian Duffy after a nightclub row.

However, the court heard that he had originally been charged with the murder but it had been withdrawn and left on the books of Belfast Crown Court.

He was released after the PPS withdrew Wednesday's charge and said the case would be brought back to Crown Court.

A representative of the Public Prosecution Service told the court the case was "without precedent" and had raised "procedural issues".