Man on murder charge

A man has been charged with murdering 38-year-old William Morrison in Belfast on Christmas Eve.

James Kemp, 32, from Ogilvie Street, in the Woodstock area of east Belfast, was remanded in custody.

Mr Morrison, who lived alone, was found stabbed to death in his home at Portallo Street, off the Woodstock Road.

A detective inspector told the Magistrates Court in Belfast on Wednesday that when Mr Kemp was charged he replied: "Definitely not guilty. It was self-defence and I never meant for my friend to die."

A defence solicitor said Mr Kemp had instructed him to express his condolences to the family circle of the deceased.

The solicitor said: "He was a close friend and it is all the more tragic in the circumstances."