Hi °C | Lo °C A man from Northern Ireland has denied murdering a pregnant mother of four at her Londonderry home last summer.
Stephen Cahoon will make legal history today as the first person to face a jury in the Republic for a non-terrorist related offence in Northern Ireland.
Cahoon (37) is accused of murdering his partner Jean Quigley at her home in Cornshell Fields, in the Shantallow area of the city on July 26. During a brief hearing held in Dublin's Central Criminal Court the defendant, who was dressed in a grey coloured hoody and jeans, pleaded not guilty to the charge.
Seven women and six men were chosen to hear the trial.
Mr Justice Paul Carney warned jurors should indicate if they knew the defendant, the 30-year-old murder victim, her family or had any connections with Derry before taking the oath. The judge also revealed the trial is expected to last between two and two and a half weeks.
Under the Criminal Law Jurisdiction Act of 1976, suspects can be tried in the Republic for alleged offences in Britain or Northern Ireland.
After his arrest in Donegal, Cahoon, of Harvey Street, Derry, opted to have his trial in the Republic instead of the north.
