A man arrested over the suspicious deaths of three of his girlfriends in the same Northern Ireland town has appeared in court charged with murdering two of them.
Leslie Ross, of Dromore, County Down, where the women all died, is accused of murdering 47-year-old Michelle Bickerstaff in April last year and 50-year-old Margaret Weiss in August 2007.
A file on the third death, that of 52-year-old Lily McKee, who died in December 2002, has been referred to the Public Prosecution Service.
Ross spoke only to confirm his name and showed no emotion as the charges were put to him at Armagh Magistrates' Court.
He glanced at the families of his alleged victims, sat in the packed public gallery, as he was remanded in custody.
The 66-year-old, who looked tired and drawn as he sat in the dock, has also been charged with indecently assaulting a woman between January 1979 and June 1990, committing an act of gross indecency with a child and indecently assaulting a female child between July 1979 and June 1990.
A detective sergeant told the court he believed he could connect the accused with the charges.
A lawyer for Ross said he had "categorically and vehemently" denied the charges during three days of questioning.
The defendant's home had been attacked as a result of the high profile case, he said.
Ross is due to appear at Banbridge Magistrates' Court on September 19.
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