Two men charged with murder of Karen Cummings appear in court

Two men have been remanded in custody after appearing before a judge charged with the murder of Karen Cummings in Co Down.

The 40-year-old children's nurse was found unconscious at a house in the Laurel Heights area of Banbridge on Saturday evening and died a short time later.

Police have said the mother of two suffered a head injury.

Glenn Robert King, 32, of no fixed address in Lurgan, Co Armagh, and Kevin Paul McGuigan, 42, from Annacloy Park in Hillsborough, Co Down, appeared before Newry Magistrates' Court via video-link on Wednesday morning charged with her murder.

McGuigan is also charged with possession of a firearm, namely a double-barrelled shotgun, and ammunition with intent to endanger life. He is facing a third count of handling stolen goods, namely a double-barrelled shotgun.

McGuigan was arrested at the scene on Saturday evening, while King was detained in the Banbridge area on Sunday.

Neither man applied for bail during the short hearing before district judge Eamonn King.

Appearing on video-link together in the same room at the PSNI's Serious Crime Suite at Musgrave police station in Belfast, the men spoke briefly at the outset of the hearing to confirm their names and dates of birth.

They also both answered "yes" when asked did they understand the charges they were facing.

A detective constable told the court he could connect both defendants to the charges.

Solicitors for the men told the judge they were not challenging the basis upon which the police had connected their clients with the charges.

The legal representatives also confirmed that neither accused would be making an application for bail.

The judge remanded the men in custody to appear before court on January 9, again via video-link.