A man accused of attempting to murder a Scottish man in a knife attack in Belfast has had his case sent to the Crown Court as the victim continues his recovery from devastating injuries. Stephen Ogilvie, 44, was allegedly stabbed in the face, neck and back during an incident on Kinnaird Avenue in Belfast on June 8. Mr Ogilvie, who is understood to have moved from Scotland to Northern Ireland, suffered life-changing injuries in the attack. He lost an eye and eye socket and required reconstructive surgery to his nose. His family has previously said there were also concerns that he could lose the sight in his remaining eye. Hadi Alodid, 31, appeared before Belfast Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday by video link from Maghaberry Prison. He is charged with the attempted murder of Mr Ogilvie on June 8. Alodid also faces charges of threatening to kill an NHS radiographer and possessing a knife. During a brief preliminary inquiry, the proceedings were communicated to Alodid through an interpreter. The charges were put to him and he replied “no” when asked whether he wished to say anything in response. The judge determined that there was a prima facie case to answer and sent the proceedings to the Crown Court. A date for the next stage of the case has yet to be fixed. Meanwhile, Mr Ogilvie has continued his recovery following weeks of hospital treatment. He was brought out of a coma in mid-June and was subsequently moved out of intensive care. Last month, his father said the family was waiting for him to be discharged from hospital and transferred to rehabilitation. In an update posted to a fundraiser on August 16, his father said: “We are waiting for Stephen to be discharged from hospital and go to rehab, hopefully this will be within the next week or so… This is where all the hard work starts. “All the support and love sent has really lifted him up. Thank you, everyone.” More than £42,000 has been raised to support Mr Ogilvie during his recovery. Police have previously said Alodid may originally be from Chad. He is understood to have entered Northern Ireland from the Republic of Ireland in 2023. According to information previously provided by the Home Office, he was granted refugee status and leave to remain in the UK that year. Alodid has not been convicted of the offences and the allegations against him remain to be determined by the court.

Originally published by UKNIP.