A MAN accused of offences arising from incidents ending in a rooftop stand-off, has refused to leave his prison cell to appear at court.

But a judge does not intend to take any action against defendant Luther Paul Awkonum, as he did not have the modern facility of a prison to court video link available to him for the hearing.

Instead, a provisional date was set for his trial, should he subsequently deny the various charges he is facing.

The 26-year-old, also known as Luther Smith, of Fairclough Court, Peterlee, is facing ten counts arising from incidents in the town, on April 11.

He was eventually arrested in connection with injuries to two people, struck by a car which he was said to be driving, and, later armed police attending a five-hour rooftop stand-off, in Barsloan Grove, Peterlee, which ended shortly after 9.30pm, that day.

In the earlier incident, men aged 32 and 35 were hurt after they were hit by a car on a grassed area in Edenhill Road, in the town.

When the defendant made his only court appearance in the case, before magistrates in Peterlee, on April 13, he was charged with four counts of attempted grievous bodily harm, with intent, two of criminal damage, affray, common assault, plus driving while disqualified and without insurance.

During the scheduled Durham Crown Court plea hearing, held in his absence, a start date of October 2 was agreed by all parties for an anticipated five-day trial, to be staged at Teesside Crown Court.

Defence barrister Andrew Rutter is, in the meantime, seeking a psychiatric report on the defendant.