A 15-year-old girl may be charged with Harry Holland's murder in West Belfast last month, a court heard yesterday. The girl, who is in custody on other charges linked to the murder, was refused bail at the Youth Court.
A 16-year-old youth has already been charged with murdering the 65-year-old greengrocer and he was remanded in custody until November 7th.
Neither of the teenagers can be named for legal reasons.
Det Sgt Paul McParland said the girl had been re-arrested last week and he was preparing a report with a view to prosecution in respect of the murder as a secondary party.
At present, the girl is charged with causing an affray and assaulting Mr Holland.
The court was told the charges arose from the same incident in which Mr Holland was stabbed in the head with a screwdriver as he tried to stop a group of young people taking his van from outside his home at Norfolk Drive.
Objecting to a bail application, Det Sgt McParland said community representatives had confirmed on Tuesday last that tension was still running high and that public disorder might break out if she was released.
"There is also the potential for interference with witnesses, some of whom would be the same age and therefore vulnerable, and others whom we have not yet secured," said the detective.
He said police had also been advised that a threat had been made against the girl's father and that her family might be moving to Dublin in the next few weeks.
The girl's father confirmed that police had informed him of a threat but said: "nothing has happened to me and I believe nothing will happen."
Asked by defence solicitor Philip Breen if the family was planning to move to Dublin, he replied: "absolutely not". The girl's mother said she was prepared to leave home and live with her daughter at another address. "This only happened because I was not there that night," she said.
Resident Magistrate George Conner and two lay magistrates retired to consider the bail application and returned to say it had been refused.But he said it could be renewed if an acceptable address became available.