PSNI in appeal over death of Derry farmer

Police investigating the murder of sheep farmer Patrick Devine in Co Derry, today appealed to the public to help them establish…

Police investigating the murder of sheep farmer Patrick Devine in Co Derry, today appealed to the public to help them establish when he was killed.

Mr Devine was found shot dead at his isolated home six miles from Claudy on Monday, but a post mortem exam has failed to establish when he died.

Detective Superintendent Andrew Hunter, who is leading the murder investigation, said information from the public may be important in establishing when the large-scale sheep farmer and psychiatric nurse was murdered.

He said he wanted to hear from anyone who may have seen Mr Devine in Claudy or Park Village on Saturday or Sunday, or who may have noticed him travelling to or from his home in his blue Land Rover.

READ MORE

Detectives today continued house-to-house enquiries while scientific examination of Mr Devine's home was also being carried out.

Mr Devine's body was found slumped in the hallway of his home by his brother.

Although no obvious sign of a break-in has been found, there were bullet holes in a window near where the victim lay.

While Superintendent Hunter has not ruled paramilitary involvement in the murder in or out, he has said there may have been a dispute over the possession of sheep.

Earlier this year his younger brother was savagely beaten by a gang wielding baseball bats, and police are trying to establish whether the shooting was connected to that attack.

PA