PSNI renews appeal over loyalist-linked murder

Detectives investigating the unsolved murder of a man who was hacked to death in Co Down two years ago made a fresh appeal for…

Detectives investigating the unsolved murder of a man who was hacked to death in Co Down two years ago made a fresh appeal for information today.

Mark Christie (36), was chased through the Kilcooley Estate in Bangor by a gang of six men on the night of August 22nd 2006.

Police believe a machete was used in the attack, which has been linked to loyalist paramilitaries.

The week before this murder, Christie - from the Whitehill district of Bangor - had been given a suspended jail term on charges of assault.  It is understood he had been warned repeatedly to keep away from the Kilcooley estate, which is controlled by the Ulster Defence Association and the Ulster Volunteer Force.

Police have carried out 68 searches and arrested nine people in the past two years. No charges have been brought.

Detective Chief Inspector Glenn Wright said today: "The people who killed Mark murdered him for their own selfish reasons and not for the greater good of the people of Kilcooley or the North Down area.

"No reason can justify this cold-blooded and vicious killing.

"I would ask anyone who knows anything about what happened in Owenroe Drive two years ago to come forward."