Funeral of murdered pensioner takes place

The funeral of a 75-year-old Annie McCartan, who was murdered last week, has taken place.

Canon John Kearney, who performed the funeral Mass, today told mourners that the murder had left a sense of "suspended disbelief" in the County Down community and added that her death had "turned their world upside down."

The mother of 13 was buried after Requiem Mass at St Peter's Church.

Canon Kearny continued: "We are shocked as individuals and we were visibly shaken as a community when we learned about the unexpected and tragic death of someone who lived among us and was known to so many."

He paid tribute to the dignity of the McCartan family following her murder and reminded them they had the support and sympathy of the entire parish.

Mrs McCartan's body was found by her two sons last Thursday evening in the bathroom of her home in the Summer Hill Road area of Warrenpoint.

She had been beaten and stabbed to death.

On Saturday, Detective Superintendent Tim Hanley described the murder as "barbaric" and appealed for members of the public to help them track down the killer, whose clothes, police believe, would have been soaked with blood.

He said: "I have been a police officer for 19 years and it must be one of the worst murder scenes I have ever encountered, it was really bad."

He added: "That person had to have left the house, they would have had to go somewhere to get cleaned up. This crime occurred in broad daylight we believe some time from 3pm onwards."

Earlier today, police staged a reconstruction of Mrs McCartan`s last known movements.

A woman wearing clothing similar to Mrs McCartan walked along the Summer Hill Road at about 2.20pm in a bid to jog someone's memory of something which could be of use to the investigation.

Detectives have revealed that they are looking for a man described as being in his early 30's, around 6'2 in height, and of slim, athletic build with a strong jaw-line.

The man was seen near to the victim's home before she was murdered and detectives have appealed for the man to get in contact with them so that he can be ruled out of the investigation.

Police patrols in the Warrenpoint area have been stepped up in an attempt to reassure local people.

(EF/SP)