An asylum seeker is to stand trial charged with raping a 15-year-old boy at a derelict nightclub in Belfast.
Ziad Khawla, 25, is accused of attacking the youth following a chance encounter close to the city centre.
The Palestinian-born defendant appeared at Belfast Magistrates’ Court on Friday for a preliminary enquiry into the strength of the prosecution case.
He is charged with rape and two counts of sexual assault over the incident on March 2 last year.
It was previously disclosed that the teenager phoned police to claim he had just been attacked by a stranger who approached him near the Waterfront Hall.
The man offered him a cigarette before they walked a short distance to a disused nightclub building, according to the boy’s account.
He was then allegedly pushed onto the ground and subjected to a serious sexual assault.
Khawla, now with an address at Heatherbell Street in Belfast, was arrested following CCTV and forensic inquiries.
He denies the charges, insisting any interaction was brief and initiated by the complainant.
In court on Friday Khawla confirmed he understood the allegations against him.
Using an Arabic interpreter, he declined to give evidence or call any witnesses at this stage in proceedings.
District Judge Steven Keown backed prosecution submissions that the accused has a prima facie case to answer.
“He will be returned for trial at Belfast Crown Court on a date to be fixed,” Mr Keown confirmed.
Khawla was granted the right to be represented by two barristers due to the seriousness of the charges.
He remains out on bail under strict conditions pending his arraignment hearing.
Those conditions include a curfew, electronic monitoring and the lodgement of a £2,000 cash surety.
Khawla must also inform police if he ever plans to enter into a consensual sexual relationship with anyone apart from his wife.