LAST UPDATE | 52 mins ago

A JUDGE HAS made an order for a 16-year-old boy charged with the murder of a man in Co Tyrone, and the attempted murder of his wife and daughter, to undergo a mental health assessment.

The teenager, who cannot be named due to his age, appeared before Omagh Court this morning and a PSNI officer told the court that she could connect him to the charges.

The defendant’s solicitor meanwhile said that he had no issues in relation to this connection.

At around 10.55am on Saturday, police received a report from a member of the public of an ongoing disturbance at a house in the Lisnahull Road area of Dungannon, Co Tyrone.

PSNI officers arrived a short time later and discovered the body of a man aged 61.

Officers also discovered his 48-year-old wife, who had sustained non-life threatening injuries, as well as their severely injured eight-year-old daughter.

The young girl had been in a critical condition in hospital, but is now in a stable condition.

The PSNI yesterday said that the “quick-thinking actions” of officers “gave the young girl a fighting chance of survival”.

The 16-year-old defendant confirmed to the court that he understood the charges against him.

No application for bail was made.

Meanwhile, the defendant’s solicitor, Jarlath Faloon, told the court that the defendant made admissions in relation to the alleged offences during police interviews over the weekend.

He said it is “regrettable” that prior to this, the defendant “hadn’t underwent any formal psychiatric assessment”.

Faloon told the court that there were “clear concerns” in relation to the defendant’s mental health but that there was “limited psychiatric assessment during the interview process”.

While Faloon said the teenager was examined by a mental health nurse and a forensic medical officer, he added that this was “certainly not at a psychiatric level”.

He asked that an “immediate psychiatric assessment be carried out on the defendant”.

The judge said he would make an “order for the authorities to conduct a mental health assessment”.

Faloon meanwhile added that his office will also undertake a mental health assessment and that this will be a “two-tiered approach”.

The defendant was remanded in custody and will next appear before Dungannon Youth Court via video-link on 15 September.

An application for legal aid was granted.