Belfast murder linked to six-year feud

Two men were still in police custody yesterday in connection with the murder of a father-of-five in west Belfast on Friday night…

Two men were still in police custody yesterday in connection with the murder of a father-of-five in west Belfast on Friday night.

Gerard Devlin (39) was beaten and stabbed by up to six attackers after they knocked on the door of his partner's home in Whitecliff Parade, Ballymurphy, and asked for him. He was collecting his children for a weekend away.

It is believed Mr Devlin's killing was the culmination of a bitter six-year-long feud between two families.

A spokesman for the PSNI said the two men arrested on Saturday were being detained on suspicion of murder. He added that inquiries were continuing about other possible suspects for the brutal attack.

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A resolution to the family dispute - which involved three men leaving the community - was understood to have been reached just days ago. One of the three was Mr Devlin, who had been attacked a number of times in the past. He only returned to Ballymurphy to collect his children.

It is not known how the feud started, but it has become increasingly violent in recent years and weapons, including a gun, have been used. Paramilitary involvement is not suspected.

Police believe there may be a link between Mr Devlin's murder and a series of incidents on Saturday night in which two houses were attacked with petrol bombs and a shop was burned.

The houses in Dermot Hill, west Belfast, sustained minor damage in the attacks and there were no injuries. There was substantial damage to the shop.

Alex Attwood, SDLP Assembly member for west Belfast, called for the dead man's family to be allowed to grieve. "There have been tensions over a considerable period of time and there were a number of interventions in respect of the dispute."

Mr Devlin had been planning to move his family to Glenavy, Co Antrim. Two other members of his family were also injured when they intervened during the attack.