Man charged with murder nine years after severe assault

A man has been charged with the murder of a civil servant who died nine years after being severely beaten in a sectarian attack in Northern Ireland.

Paul McCauley, a 38-year-old Catholic, spent almost a decade in a vegetative state after he was attacked by loyalists at a barbecue in the Waterside area of Derry in July 2006.

He died in a care facility last month.

A 24-year-old man, who was arrested in Derry’s Fountain estate area on Friday, has been charged with Mr McCauley’s murder. It is understood the accused is John McClements, who was formerly known as Daryl Proctor.

He will appear at Derry Magistrates’ Court on Saturday.

Police stepped up the investigation into the attack in the wake of Mr McCauley’s death.

The father-of-one was 29 when he attended the barbecue at Chapel Road for a friend who was moving away from Northern Ireland.

A gang of up to 15 people emerged from nearby bushes and attacked him and two of his friends as they were clearing up after the meal in the early hours of the morning. He sustained severe head injuries.

Mr McCauley’s family has pursued a long campaign for justice.

Press Association