A 31-year-old woman has appeared in court charged with the murder of Jim Crossley following a stabbing incident in Filbert Drive on Tuesday evening. 

Appearing via video link at Lisburn Magistrates Court, Julie Ann McIlwaine was charged with the murder of her partner Mr Crossley.

Ms McIlwaine spoke only to confirm her name and that she understood the charges against her. A detective inspector said she could connect the accused to the charge before the court.

The court heard that the Ambulance Service had received a report from the accused late on Tuesday night that she had stabbed her boyfriend six times in the chest and she believed he was not breathing.

Police attended the scene off the Stewartstown Road where they found Mr Crossley in an upstairs bedroom on his hands and knees beside the bed. There was a large amount of blood on him, the bed and carpet. Mr Crossley gave no account of the incident to police, only telling them that he couldn't breathe.

En route to the Royal Victoria Hospital he took a cardiac arrest and was later pronounced dead in hospital.

A postmortem examination is continuing but police told the court that they observed five stab wounds to the right hand side of his chest and a large wound to the inner thigh of his right leg.

Ms McIlwaine told police that she had retrieved a knife from downstairs before returning to the bedroom were Mr Crossley was in bed. 

Police said there was a history of domestic violence between the pair and that the accused alleged that Mr Crossley had threatened to report her to social services for a breach of a safeguarding agreement in relation to their children.

They had a 10-month-old baby together, while McIlwaine has three other children, aged from 5 to 10, from a previous relationship.

Police initially opposed bail.

A defence solicitor told the court that the accused is an auxiliary nurse who has worked throughout the pandemic. 

Deputy District Judge Holmes said: "It's clear that this lady has no criminal record and has been the victim for a considerable period of time of significant domestic violence that has ended as we have seen unfortunately with the death of one of those in the relationship."

Ms McIlwaine was granted bail subject to High Court approval, ordered her to reside at her sister's address, not to consume alcohol and be subject to a 11pm-6am curfew.