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A man has appeared in court charged with murder following the death of Ryan McNab in Newtownabbey on Friday evening.

Mr McNab, a 31-year-old father from Bangor, died after being assaulted at a flat in Barna Square, Rathcoole.

Mark Doak, 24, from Barna Square was charged with his murder. He was remanded in custody.

The court heard the defendant admitted he choked Mr McNab during what he described as an act of self-defence.

He claimed the victim attacked him and hit him over the head with a vodka bottle.

A lawyer for Mr Doak said the death of Mr McNab was an accident and he was horrified and devastated by what happened.

The court was told that Mr Doak claimed a row erupted after the victim said he was going to the home of a former girlfriend of the defendant to assault her.

The court also heard that the two men did not know each other until earlier on Friday evening when Mr McNab was invited to Mr Doak's flat for drinks.

Mr Doak told police, during interviews, that he had been on a "three-day drink and coke bender" before Friday evening.

A solicitor for the defendant requested bail, saying his client had a clear record and acted in self-defence and did not flee the scene.

The lawyer said he was "totally distraught" by what occurred, and he wanted to send his sympathies to Mr McNab's family.

He said his client had performed "a hold" to stop an attack and he did not intend to kill the victim.

However, the police said they were objecting to bail "in the strongest possible terms" because they considered Mr Doak to be "a danger to the public".

The judge refused bail because of what she described as "the seriousness of the case".

Earlier in the hearing, the judge warned people in the public gallery to keep quiet or she would have them removed from the court.