Murdered Belfast man John George, who went missing in Spain before Christmas, was stabbed and then shot, an autopsy report has revealed.
A solicitor acting on behalf of the George family confirmed on Wednesday that they had received the report from Spanish authorities. They family has now requested a second autopsy, which is expected to be completed next week.
The development comes as an international arrest warrant was issued for a suspect in relation to the killing of Mr George (37), a father of two from the west of the city. Dozens of family members and friends travelled to Alicante last month to take part in the search after Mr George failed to return home from a holiday. A man has appeared in court in Spain on suspicion of his murder.
Mr George’s body was found by Spanish detectives in Rojales, a small town near Alicante, just over three weeks ago.
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“We can confirm the family have received an autopsy report from the Spanish authorities,” said Kevin Winters, a Belfast-based solicitor. “The findings point to John having been stabbed before being shot. As a precautionary measure and in order to make sure we have absolute clarity on the cause of death we have instructed another pathologist to conduct a second autopsy on John’s remains.”
The family say they are encouraged by the issuing of three separate arrest warrants by Spanish authorities for the person suspected of the murder. “They are hopeful that all engaged authorities will pursue implementation of the warrants in order to take the case to the next very important stage of the investigation,” said Mr Winters.
Earlier this month a 32-year-old man from the Czech Republic appeared in court and was bailed by a judge under strict conditions. He is not allowed to leave the jurisdiction, and has to report daily to police. He denies involvement in the alleged murder. During the court hearing police said they believed at least one other person was involved in the crime.
Mr George was last in contact with his father, Billy, on December 14th, and was reported as a missing person four days later after he missed a flight home. Billy George travelled to Spain with other relatives on December 21st to begin a near month-long search.
The PSNI has been liaising with the Spanish authorities in relation to the case, and the family recently met a PSNI team. “We are pleased to report that assurances were given on maintaining levels of communication with Spanish police to access key information on the current status of their investigation,” Mr Winters said.
John George’s remains were brought back to Ireland last week by the Kevin Bell Repatriation Trust, a Northern Ireland charity which helps bring home bodies of those who have died abroad in sudden or tragic circumstances. His funeral will take place this Friday in Belfast.
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