A 54-year-old Derry man has been charged with the murder of an RUC officer who was shot dead by the IRA almost 30 years ago.
Seamus Martin Kearney from Swatragh was accused of murdering Constable John Procter in the grounds of a hospital in Magherafelt in September 1981.
He was also charged with possessing an Armalite rifle.
The prosecution said Mr Kearney's DNA matched a cigarette butt found at the scene of the murder.
A defence solicitor said Mr Kearney categorically denied the charges and said the cigarette butt allegedly linked to the defendant had been found two days after the shooting in a heavily populated public area where no forensic tents had been erected.
The police opposed bail but the Magistrate said their objections to freeing Mr Kearney did not measure up.
Mr Kearney was then released on bail totalling £15,000 and will appear in court again in November.
