No medical report on stab victim

The case was heard at Bishop Street courthouse in Derry

A senior consultant at Altnagelvin Hospital failed to submit a medical report about the severity of a stab victim's injuries, a court has heard.

Judge Desmond Marrinan QC told Londonderry Crown Court that the lack of a pre-sentence condition update was "entirely unsatisfactory".

John McNicholl, from Drumachose Park in Limavady, was jailed for two and a half years after he admitted stabbing his father with a flick knife in 2007.

The judge has demanded an explanation.

He said it was a situation he'd never come across before and he wanted to know how it happened.