Man charged with murder of prison officer Adrian Ismay who died this week of a heart attack

A 45-year-old man has faced a court charged with the murder of prison officer Adrian Ismay.

The 53-year-old prison officer died in hospital on Tuesday after suffering a heart attack at home.

Christopher Alphonsos Robinson, of Aspen Park in Dunmurry, had previously been charged with attempting to murder the father-of-three.

The charge was changed after Mr Ismay died on Tuesday from injuries he sustained in a dissident bomb attack at Hillsborough Drive in east Belfast on Friday, March 4.

Mr Ismay was seriously injured when a bomb exploded under his van at Hillsborough Drive, off the Woodstock Road on 4 March.

The father of three died 11 days later.

Police said that a post-mortem examination showed he died as a “direct result of the injuries” of the bomb.

Robinson’s defence legal team have asked for a second post mortem examination to be carried out.

They also want to examine his medical records since he was admitted to hospital and discharged.

A detective sergeant told Belfast Magistrates Court on Friday that the preliminary post mortem examination established the cause of death as “deep vein thrombosis” following the injuries to the prison officer’s legs.

Robinson was remanded back into custody.