Barry Noone, 45, appeared in the Omagh Magistrates on Tuesday via video link accused of killing Margaret Una Noone at her home on Sunday, June 19th. Detective Officer Simpson told the court he could link Mr Noone to the murder charge.
The court heard as police entered a bedroom of a Cookstown property to find Ms. Noone dead and holding a set of rosaries, while police said the defendant confessed to killing his mother and attempting suicide. According to the detective, the NI Ambulance Service and the PSNI were initially called to the address on Ratheen Avenue in Co Tyrone at 10.50 am.
A friend of the accused had called the emergency services to say that he had received a suicide note from him and that he had taken an overdose. When police arrived at the property at 11 a.m., with the blinds closed and there was no response at the door. After entering the property through an unlocked door, the police found a notebook with a note that read “do not enter”. Police then located the accused under the sheets in a room of the house and appeared to be under the influence of alcohol or drugs. In another room police found the dead woman, who was lying on a bed, with her hands placed on her chest along with rosaries. Police identified the man in the home as Barry Noone, and when asked what had happened, police said they said “I killed her”. He went on to say that he had taken a quantity of his mother’s valium tablets and “did not wait to wake up”. Police say they later found a letter signed by Barry Noone, saying he “could not take it anymore” after dealing with depression and the responsibility of caring for his mother. The cause of death was described as “neck compression”, while the policeman said that there were broken bones in the voice box and in the chest of the victim. While in police custody, police claim that interviews with Mr Noone had not been “mainly commented on”. Claiming bail for Mr Noone, a defense lawyer said he had “offered remorse and regretted” what had happened. However, District Judge Bernie Kelly rejected the bail application and Mr. Noone was remanded in custody for the purposes of the psychiatric evaluation. He will appear in court again on July 9. For all the latest news, visit the Belfast Live homepage here. To subscribe to our FREE newsletters, see here.
