POLICE IN NORTHERN Ireland have renewed their appeal to find the murderer of Mark Lovell, and are offering a £20,000 reward for information for information that leads to the conviction of those responsible.
The 58-year-old father of three was murdered in Newry one year ago, on the evening of Thursday 1 December 2022.
He was shot multiple times, at close range, as he sat inside his car which was parked outside his home in the city’s Ardcarn Park.
Detective Chief Inspector Anthony Kelly said it happened just after 6:30pm on a Thursday, “a time when people would have been out and about, possibly coming home from work or planning their festive shopping”.
“We believe the gunmen lay in wait for Mark before shooting him. This was a planned, ruthless and targeted attack; one which shocked an entire community and which has left a loving family bereft.
“This violence has no place in our society. One life was taken, and any passer-by could easily have been injured or killed by the reckless volley of bullets.”
To be eligible for the £20,000 reward and stay anonymous, you must pass on information exclusively to the charity Crimestoppers.
The charity said that computer IP addresses are never traced, and phone calls never recorded.
“We are independent of the police and guarantee complete anonymity.
“The reward will only be payable for information passed directly to Crimestoppers and not to the police.”
Those with information can contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or online at www.crimestoppers-uk.org.
Detective Chief Inspector Kelly today released details of the killers’ movements before the murder, saying: “I believe the gunmen travelled in a black C-Class Mercedes, which was later found burnt-out in the Dundalk area.
“I now know they followed Mark earlier that afternoon to Meigh where he was spending time with his sick mother.”
New CCTV footage, which the PSNI has released for the first time today, shows the killers’ black Mercedes at the crossroads in Meigh. The car was stolen from the Dublin area in July 2022.
“The CCTV shows the Mercedes turning left onto Chapel Road. It immediately takes a left turn into a carpark, where it turns around and comes back again towards the same crossroads. From here, it heads right, in the direction of Forkhill,” Kelly explained.
“While the Mercedes is turning into the carpark, Mark’s car can be seen approaching the same crossroads. He’s driving a black Volkswagen Golf, and is travelling from the direction of Meigh, heading towards Newry.
“He stops off in Newry city centre, before heading home to Ardcarn Park. And I believe that, when he reaches Ardcarn, the gunmen were already there and waiting.”
Lovell’s wife Eileen Hughes described it as a “brutal and senseless murder”.
“Mark was an only-child. He was his elderly mother’s sole carer. And, since his murder, she has been in hospital, broken-hearted. She remains there still today,” she said.
“Mark was a loving son, daddy, grand-daddy and husband. He was a great friend, and he’s sorely missed each and every day.”
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