Victor Hamilton: Arrest made after body found in driveway of house

Victor Hamilton was found in the driveway of his home in Ballymena

A 29-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of the murder of a man in Ballymena, County Antrim.

Victor Hamilton, 63, was found dead in the driveway of his house on Orkney Drive at about 07:50 BST on Wednesday.

The man was arrested just after 11:30 BST on Thursday in the Spring Meadows area of Armagh.

The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) said he was being questioned at Musgrave police station in Belfast.

Anyone with information is urged to contact police.

Forensics teams at the scene on Orkney Drive

A vigil for Mr Hamilton took place on Thursday evening, led by Pastor Thomas Todd of the nearby Ballykeel Pentecostal Church.

Those attending walked from the church to Mr Hamilton's house.

"What [people] want to do is show their sympathies for the family, even though Mr Hamilton would not have been particularly well known," Mr Todd said.

"Obviously he has a family somewhere, there are people who care about him, and just to show that the estate is in shock and also people don't want this to be a representation of people in the area."

A vigil was held for Mr Hamilton on Thursday evening

Mr Hamilton's sister-in-law Lesley attended the vigil and said her family appreciated it.

"We heard on the news that there was going to be a vigil so we wanted to come down to be part of it and thank the people from here for going to so much trouble and caring so much about Victor," she said.

She said Mr Hamilton was from Carrickfergus and had been made homeless a few weeks ago, before the Housing Executive housed him in Ballymena.

"We thought [the vigil] was absolutely lovely, because barely any of them know him so it was good that everyone came out and showed their support which we are eternally grateful for," Ms Hamilton said.

People came together to share their sympathy with Mr Hamilton's family

The family of Jason Lee Martin, who was murdered during a social gathering in the same street in June 2020, were also at the vigil.

Ballymena SDLP councillor Eugene Reid said local people were shocked at the news.

"Obviously the gentleman involved is known to them and they are upset that this has happened," he said.

"It is a tragedy and it's something that we never want to see happening.

"We would encourage anyone with information to bring that to the PSNI to ensure they can come to some conclusion in regards to this tragic event."

Pastor Thomas Todd says a vigil has been organised for Mr Hamilton on Thursday evening