A Belfast man who is accused of threatening to kill North Belfast MP John Finucane told a court that he plans to bring the Archbishop of Canterbury, King Charles, and the Pope as witnesses in his case.
43-year-old Stephen Altimas, who was in his own right before Coleraine Magistrates Court, informed the judge that he had a request to cross-examine the King, the Pope, and the Archbishop.
Additionally, he informed the court that he was requesting access to video of Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral, which he intended to play in order to prove King Charles’ position.
Unfortunately, “I’m not in a position to deal with your applications,” the judge told the prisoner, “since they would fall under Crown Court guidelines rather than Magistrates Court.”
He told Altimas, who was appearing through videolink from behind bars, “That’s a matter for trial,” adding that he intended to move the case to the “appropriate forum as swiftly as possible.”
Who is Stephen Altimas?
Altimas, who has a residence on the Antrim Road in north Belfast, is now in detention on charges that he threatened to kill John Finucane MP and a second man on February 11 of this year. The second individual’s name cannot be revealed because of a reporting prohibition.
Altimas is also accused of four additional offenses related to the victim who has been kept anonymous, all of which are alleged to have occurred on February 2. These offenses include sending a judge in the Crown Court an article “which conveyed a threat,” intimidating witnesses, harassing them, and breaking a restraining order.
According to the charges of intimidation, Altimas “wrote a letter to the judge attempting to intimidate” the complainant who has been kept anonymous.
The accusations stem from several instances before Antrim Crown Court in February during which Altimas is said to have yelled threats at his victim, saying he would “chop his head off” if released and that he would “cut John Finucane’s throat, there you go.”
The case was supposed to have a Preliminary Enquiry on Monday, but DJ King postponed it for a week because files hadn’t been provided to Altimas.
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