Derry Court: Court told witness to assault has previous perjury conviction

Derry Magistrate's Court heard today that a woman who claimed to have witnessed her daughter being assaulted has a conviction for perjury in a murder case in 2015.

The revelation was made in the case against Jason Cooke (28) of Dunvale Close in Derry who was charged with assaulting a female on June 11.

The court heard that police were told by a woman that she had been on a video call with her daughter and had witnessed Cooke slap the female on the side of the face. 

Police attended and the woman denied anything had occurred but police noticed redness on the side of her face. 

The mother told police she had been talking to her daughter when the incident occurred and was able to provide police with an audio of the conversation in which the mother could be heard saying 'I saw that.'

A police officer opposed bail and said Cooke had 54 previous convictions and 2 of them involved the same alleged injured party. 

She said if released Cooke could interfere with the course of justice. 

Defence solicitor Seamus Quigley said that the alleged victim lived in County Antrim. 

He asked the police officer did anyone in the case have a conviction for perjury or perverting the course of justice. 

The officer replied that the alleged victim's mother had a conviction for perjury from 2015.

Mr Quigley asked was that in a murder case where a Chinese national had been killed and the woman had given evidence that the perpetrators had been at her home at the time. 

The solicitor then asked had the woman been sentenced to six months for perjury and the police officer said she did not know the sentence. 

Mr Quigley said that the evidence against his client was 'flawed' as the woman was 'hardly a reliable or truthful witness'.

District Judge Barney McElholm released Cooke on bail on condition he does not enter Antrim or has any contact with the woman. 

He will appear again next month.