Man returned to Derry Crown Court charged with attempted sexual communication with a child under 16-years-old

A man has been returned for trial to Derry Crown Court on a series of charges relating to attempting to sexually communicate with a child under 16.

Patrick Devine (44) of Northland Road in Derry appeared at a preliminary enquiry at the local Magistrate's Court on Friday.

He faces three charges of attempted sexual communication with a child under 16-years-old on dates between April 19 2019 and December 9 2020.

He was also charged with attempting to incite a child to engage in sexual activity on April 12 2019.

It was accepted there was a case to answer and there were no contrary submissions.

Devine said he did not want to call any witnesses or make any statement at this stage.

He was returned for trial to Derry Crown Court on February 7 and released on bail.