Shane Whitla: 'Multiple crime scenes' in murder inquiry

Shane Whitla, 39, died from gunshot wounds at Lord Lurgan Park on Thursday night

Detectives investigating the murder of Shane Whitla have been granted more time to question a man about the killing in Lurgan, County Armagh.

Mr Whitla sustained gunshot wounds and a puncture wound to his throat at Lord Lurgan Park on Thursday.

On Saturday police went to court to ask permission to extend their detention of a 29-year-old man.

A judge said that because there were "multiple crime scenes" he would grant a 36-hour extension.

A police officer told Lisburn Magistrates' Court that the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) had established three scenes for investigation - the suspect's home, the address where he was arrested and the murder scene.

The officer described how the victim had been found lying in the park on Thursday night with a puncture wound to his throat.

Ambulance staff called police for assistance and PSNI officers arrived first on the scene.

Officers performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) until paramedics arrived but Mr Whitla was pronounced dead 45 minutes later, the court heard.

The victim was found with gunshot wounds in Lurgan Park on Thursday night

The police witness said that a post-mortem examination had established that Mr Whitla had died as a result of a "bullet wound to the chest".

He also revealed that detectives were trawling through CCTV footage to establish the movements of the suspect.

'No evidence whatsoever'

The 29-year-old man's phone had been seized and his clothing is also being forensically examined.

Detectives are also seeking to identify the suspect's car and trace its movements.

The detective constable told the judge that the police were seeking the maximum 36-hour extension to allow time for those inquiries to be conducted and for the return of forensic findings.

A defence solicitor put it to the officer that, at the moment, there was neither a forensic link nor witness evidence to connect his client to the killing, telling him that the police "have no evidence whatsoever linking him to this murder".

"I can't say that," replied the officer.

"There is a senior investigating officer who is controlling all information and evidence coming into the inquiry and that evidence and information is fed to me in phases, so I can only say I am not in possession of it.

"I can't say that it doesn't exist."

The officer agreed that the suspect had voluntarily given blood samples and his fingerprints.

The defence solicitor argued for a shorter-than-maximum extension but the judge said it was clear "there are multiple crime scenes".

"There are an extensive number of searches in respect of potential evidence and for that reason I think it's sensible and prudent that we make the extension for 36 hours," he said.