04/07/2005

Two men arrested in connection with killing

Two men have been arrested in connection with the murder of a man in east Belfast last week.

Jameson Lockhart, 25, from north Belfast, was shot as he sat in a lorry on the lower Newtownards Road on Friday.

Mr Lockhart had been clearing rubble from the site of the now-demolished ‘Avenue One’ bar with a colleague when the shooting occurred.

Security Minister Shaun Woodward described the murder as "brutal and callous".

“This callous act of murder should be condemned by all. There can be no justification for the taking of life in such a brutal way. Anyone who has any information relating to this murder should pass it to the police so that the perpetrators can be brought to justice," he said.

Detectives are still refusing to speculate on a motive however sources indicate the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) was behind the killing.

Meanwhile, East Belfast Sinn Féin representative Deborah Devenny said that nationalists in the nearby Short Strand area were deeply concerned after Friday’s killing.

She said that the killing would add to the fears of nationalists that loyalist paramilitary threats and attacks would “once again turn on them”.

(MB/KMcA)

Related Northern Ireland News Stories
Click here for the latest headlines.

05 July 2005
Two men still held in murder enquiry
Two men arrested by police investigating the murder of a man in east Belfast last week were still being held today. Jameson Lockhart, 25, from north Belfast, was shot as he sat in a lorry on the lower Newtownards Road on Friday.
19 April 2006
Three arrested in connection with Lockhart murder
Police in Belfast have today arrested three men in connection with the murder of a man in the east of the city last summer. North Belfast man , Jameson Lockhart, was fatally shot as he sat in a lorry at the junction of Templemore Avenue on the Lower Newtownards Road in July 2005.
05 May 2015
Man Shot In Belfast City Centre
A man has been shot in the Markets area of Belfast this morning, according to the police. It is understood the incident occurred on Lower Standield Street. Police said the incident is ongoing and more information is to follow. Sinn Féin MLA Máirtín Ó Muilleoir has condemned the fatal shooting.
22 November 2007
DUP MP Names Sinn Fein Man
Parliamentary privilege has again been used to 'name names' in the republican movement.
08 July 2005
Detectives to revisit murder scene
Detectives are to revisit the scene of last week’s murder of 25-year-old Jameson Lockhart later on Friday. There will be checkpoints on the lower Newtownards Road and Templemore Avenue in east Belfast close to where Mr Lockhart was shot dead. Detectives said they wanted to talk to motorists who were in the area last Friday morning.