Judge refuses to strike out murder charge against Italian man

A judge has refused to strike out the case of an Italian man accused of the murder of well-known religious affairs writer Tom O’Gorman and has granted the DPP more time to complete the book of evidence.

Saverio Bellante, aged 34, who had been Mr O’Gorman’s lodger, had been due to appear at Cloverhill District Court but he remains an in-patient at the Central Mental Hospital, Judge Victor Blake heard yesterday.

A prosecution solicitor told Judge Blake the DPP has not yet received the investigation file from gardaí.