Cheung murder: ‘No blood link’ to accused, court told

Gary William Thompson (32), of Cunningham Way, Antrim, is one of three men accused of killing Mr Cheung and the attempted murder of his wife Winnie, on a date between January 6-9.

Thompson’s case was listed at Ballymena Magistrates Court for a bail application but his barrister Aaron Thompson said the application would not be proceeding as the proposed bail address had “fallen through”.

A PSNI detective constable told the court that a biologist’s report is expected to be with police by mid-July, while a fingerprints report is expected to be completed by the end of next month.

Under questioning from Mr Thompson, the officer accepted there was “blood or forensic” evidence against others accused of Mr Cheung’s murder, that was not the case with Thompson.

He said police were investigating evidence relating to Thompson’s mobile telephone but, under questioning from defence counsel, said mobile telephone reports showed that Thompson had been residing in the Templepatrick area but had then been tracked to the Antrim area around the time of the attack on Mr Cheung.

Mr Thompson said his client had gone back to his family home at Cunningham Way but although his estranged wife Lisa - who was released on bail last week on charges of handling a stolen iPhone belong to Mr Cheung’s wife Winnie and with perverting the course of justice in relation to the murder of Mr Cheung - was seen on CCTV entering the house trough the front door, Thompson had “climbed over the back fence” in order to avoid being seen by neighbours as he had been prohibited from being in the area as part of bail conditions in an unrelated case.

Mr Thompson said it was his client’s case that the co-accused later came to his house and gave him a mobile phone cover belonging to Mrs Cheung which later appeared on Thompson’s phone.

The barrister said the case against Thompson is “all circumstantial, around and about (Thompson’s) movements”.

“It is not very clear there is a murder chare around Gary Thompson,” Mr Thompson added.

Remanding Thompson in custody until June 25, District Judge Des perry said: “An address would be needed before a bail application can be mounted.”