Four Romanian men accused over running knife battle in Belfast street

Four men were allegedly involved in a running battle with knives on a busy south Belfast street, a court heard today.

The accused, all Romanian nationals, appeared before magistrates in the city on charges connected to armed confrontations in the Lisburn Road area on Wednesday afternoon.

One of them sustained serious injuries to his arm during an initial encounter inside an apartment, according to police.

Dmitru Genea, 30, of no fixed abode; 33-year-old Ionut Lazar, with an address on the Lisburn Road; Florian Bratianu, 30, of Fane Street in Belfast; and Ionut Daniel Gheorghe, 27, from Wheatfield Crescent in the city, are jointly charged with affray.

Genea and Lazar face further counts of wounding and possessing an offensive weapon with intent to commit grievous bodily harm, while Bratianu is also accused of having a bladed article in public.

Belfast Magistrates’ Court heard Gheorghe is believed to have been stabbed when an altercation broke out at a flat in the area.

CCTV footage then showed two men being pursued by two others towards a nearby bar on the Lisburn Road.

Defence lawyer Pearse MacDermott, representing Bratianu and Gheorghe, claimed they were chased by their two armed co-accused and took shelter in the foyer of the pub.

He alleged that his clients threw chairs and hoardings in a bid to keep the other pair out, while Bratianu also brandished a knife in an attempt to stop them getting in.

“They are the victims; they were attacked, ran away and then were attacked again,” Mr MacDermott submitted.

But Genea and Lazar’s solicitor, Eoghan McKenna, made counter arguments that they had been threatened and only acted in self-defence.

Police opposed applications for bail by all four defendants.

It was disclosed that Gheorghe had been booked on a flight back to Romania but was unable to make the trip due to being under guard in hospital.

Refusing bail to each of the accused, District Judge Steven Keown remanded them in custody until June 6.

He stated: “This was a running battle in the middle of the day on the busy Lisburn Road involving people armed with large knives.”