Man and woman held on suspicion of murder in Clogher

A man and a woman were being held by the PSNI on Sunday on suspicion of the murder of 30-year-old Pat Ward who was found dead in an alleyway in Clogher, Co Tyrone.

The body of Mr Ward, a member of the Travelling community who was known as “Big Bang”, was discovered in McCrea Park in the town around 8.15am on Saturday.

“A post-mortem examination has yet to take place but I am treating his death as murder,” said Det Chief Insp Peter McKenna, from the PSNI’s major investigation team.

“A 33-year-old female and a 23-year-old male have been arrested on suspicion of murder and remain in police custody at this time,” he said.

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The officer appealed to anyone who had information or who was in the McCrea Park area on Friday night or early Saturday morning or who witnessed any unusual activity to bring it forward to the police.

A police forensic team carried out a detailed examination of the murder scene over the weekend.

Mr Ward was living in Clogher but was originally from the Sligo area. His 23-year-old brother, Tom, was murdered outside his parents’ home in Sligo in 2007 in a feud between Traveller families.

The Sinn Féin MP for Fermanagh South Tyrone Michelle Gildernew said the local community was in shock following the discovery Mr Ward’s body.

She described the murder as “brutal” and said: “Police are investigating and I would encourage anyone with information that could help to bring it forward.”

Ms Gildernew added: “My thoughts are with the family and friends of the deceased at this time.”