Appeal issued as police probe link between murder and bottle attack on priest

Irish Daily Mirror

3 days ago

Police in the North have issued a fresh appeal for information following a murder and attempted murder in Co Down at the weekend.
At approximately 10.10am on Sunday morning (August 10), police received a report that a priest had been seriously assaulted in a church in the St Patrick's Avenue area of Downpatrick.
According to the PSNI, a man entered St Patrick's Church and "brutally attacked" 75-year-old Father John Murray with a bottle before making his exit.
Fr. Murray was rushed to hospital for treatment to a head injury, where he remains in a serious, but stable, condition.
While attending this serious assault, at around 12pm midday, police received a report of the death of a man aged in his 50s at an address in the Marian Park area.
Officers attended along with colleagues from the NI Ambulance Service. However, the man, who has been named as father-of-two Stephen Brannigan, was pronounced dead at the scene.
Following initial enquiries, the PSNI launched a murder investigation, and a 30-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of murder. He has also been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder, and remains in custody at this time. A PSNI officer stands guard outside St. Patrick's Church, Downpatrick, Co. Down following the attack on a priest. (Image: Jonathan Porter/PressEye)
Police investigating the murder and the attempted have now issued an appeal to the public as they continue their enquiries.
In a statement, Detective Chief Inspector Gary Robinson said: 'Our investigations into both the murder and attempted murder are at the early stages. While I can confirm that one line of enquiry is that the two are connected, I would reiterate that our enquiries are ongoing in an effort to establish the facts surrounding both incidents.
'I am keen to appeal to anyone who was in the St Patrick's Avenue area of Downpatrick between 9am and 11am on Sunday, or the Marian Park area between 12 midnight and 12 noon on Sunday, and saw or heard anything untoward, to please come forward and speak to us.
'Any detail, no matter how small, could be of vital importance to our investigation. I would ask anyone with information, CCTV or dash cam footage to contact us on 101, quoting reference 713 of 10/08/25.'
Superintendent Norman Haslett, the District Commander for Newry, Mourne and Down, has offered his support to members of the public who may be "struggling to come to terms with both grief and shock" following Sunday's incidents as he reiterated that "there is no ongoing risk to the public".
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'I would like to express my sympathy to family members, friends and the wider community in Downpatrick who are today left shaken by the tragic events of the weekend," he said.
"For a man to be murdered and a Priest to be attacked in the sanctity of his own church, these are appalling acts and I understand that many people will inevitably be struggling to come to terms with both grief and shock.
'I want to reassure the local community that there is no ongoing risk to the public and you will see an increased visible police presence in the area over the next few days.'
Information can also be provided to the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or online at www.crimestoppers-uk.org.
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