A judge in the US has refused bail to a leading unionist civil servant who was charged last week with the attempted sexual abuse of a girl he believed to be 14-years-old.
62-year-old Stan Mallon, the acting chief executive of the Ulster Scots Agency, was arrested in Chicago while allegedly on his way to meet the girl, who he allegedly contacted through an internet chatroom.
He has denied the charges. In court today, Mr Mallon was refused bail on the grounds that he might try to leave the US.