A 15-year-old girl appeared in court yesterday charged in connection with the fatal stabbing of west Belfast greengrocer Harry Holland on Tuesday.
The girl, who cannot be named on account of her age, was remanded in custody until October 10th. An application for bail was turned down because of the perceived risk to her well-being.
Harry Holland (65) was stabbed in the head late on Tuesday as he attempted to stop the theft of his delivery van. He died the following day in hospital. His death has provoked an outpouring of revulsion, with demands for higher visibility policing and for tougher sentencing for those found guilty of antisocial behaviour.
The girl faced charges of affray and assault occasioning actual bodily harm. Two 17-year-old youths are still helping police with their inquiries. Another 15-year-old girl, arrested at the same time as the others, has been released.
Hundreds of west Belfast residents attended a vigil in the Falls area of the city on Thursday night to show solidarity with the dead man's relatives.
One of Mr Holland's four daughters, Sarah, said the demonstration of sympathy and support from the community was welcome. She said the heart of her family had been ripped out, but the community's response had been heartening.
Sinn Féin president Gerry Adams led a delegation of senior party representatives at a meeting with senior PSNI officers at Grosvenor Road station yesterday. He said the incident had been "an incident waiting to happen" and it was only "a twist of fate that it happened to Harry Holland".
The PSNI said it understood the sense of public frustration but assured the local community the investigation was progressing. Police have commended the level of co-operation with its investigation.