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POLICE IN THE North say a young man killed in Belfast in the early hours of Saturday morning was subjected to “a sustained and vicious” assault.
20-year-old Christopher Meli from Sliebh Dubh Lane in west Belfast was attacked and killed some time between midnight and 1am.
Five people in total have been arrested in connection with the investigation. Two 18-year-old men and a 16-year-old male youth were detained on Saturday and remain in custody.
Another two teenagers, aged 17 and 18, were arrested in connection with the murder yesterday afternoon.
All five suspects are still being interviewed.
“Christopher was the father of a two year old boy,” Detective Chief Inspector Richard Campbell, who is heading up the investigation, said in a statement tonight.
“He is survived by his mother, father and four younger brothers.
The sympathies and condolences of the Police Service are with the entire family circle at this very difficult time.
His death, Campbell said, “has caused devastation to his family and shocked the wider community”.
Timeline
Detective Chief Inspector Campbell said investigators were starting to put together a timeline of what happened in the lead-up to the attack, based on witness statements.
“At this stage I believe that Christopher was one of a group of four people, when he was set upon by a number of individuals from a much larger group.
“There appears to have been an initial incident on the Stewartstown Road before the attack on Christopher in an area known locally as Doc’s Lane.
“Christopher became separated from his friends and he was fatally assaulted at the location where his body was found, in Doc’s Lane.
“Some of those people who were in that larger group may not have been involved in the attack on Christopher, nor may they have anticipated the outcome of the attack.
“Police are working to establish exactly what happened and who was involved.”
‘A matter of time’
He said it was “only a matter of time” before detectives identify everyone who was there, adding:
“I am appealing for those people to come forward now and co-operate with this investigation by telling police what they saw.
“Come to us before we come to you.
Anyone who was involved in the attack on Christopher should understand that they will be identified and it is in their interests to come forward now, voluntarily and with a solicitor if necessary, so that their role can be properly established.
“The response and support from the local community, from people of all ages, has been very positive.”
Anyone with information is being asked to call the PSNI on the non-emergency number ’101′.
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Bon Voyage and safe journey to all Irish nurses who will be leaving our shores because of the 20% reduction in starting pay.
This move demonstrates the level of respect our TD’s have for our Nurses.
Soon, there will be a recruitment drive overseas to import cheap nurses. Unfortunately, foreign nurses will be conned into coming here for poor pay and terrible working conditions.
We train the best and import the worst. Remember the Nigerian ‘doctor’ who couldn’t even take a pulse…??.
Once, I was so sick that I couldn’t even get into the car to go to the gp. My wife phoned ‘Southdoc’ who sent an African who was doing a ‘locum’, (€70) He used a lolipop stick, said I had a bad cold & prescribed ‘Benylin for flu’, – an over the counter medication. it got worse, A friend who was a real doctor called, he actually used a stetescope & diagnosed severe pneumonia, prescribed the antibiotic, ‘Klacid’ among several other drugs to ease my suffering.
There needs to be a clampdown on quacks like this, getting away with, possibly…….murder.
Who is in charge….??
Oh yeah….forget it.
The foreign nurses will go to other countries with better conditions, and the ones who are duped to come here will soon cop on and leave. It’s happened before and will happen again
@hector i have to disagree with the tone of your comments. plenty of good “African/Nigerian” doctors about.
would it have been possible you didn’t tell him all or symptoms or as with slot of illness it progressively got worse.
@ Paddy, – A hospital floor cleaner could have diagnosed what was wrong with me, – maybe that’s what this guy was…? – There is such corruption in parts of Africa, that you can buy a degree in anything for a few hundred bucks, – it’s a handy way of getting yourself into any country as long as no-one asks any awkward questions…
Pretty sure that the story you mention wasn’t actually a Nigerian – Eastern European, I think. Shocking how they got through the system but more a fault of the hiring system here, rather than anyone’s race.
wonderful, the goverment want to help banks make a profit while throwing the irish voters out on the roads of ireland while the ministers enjoy 3000e salary every week, oliver cromwell is reincarnated, to hell or connaught with the irish.
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