A second Sinn Féin election candidate was in the Belfast bar on the night Robert McCartney was murdered, it emerged this evening.
The party disclosed that Deirdre Hargey was still inside Magennis's bar when police first arrived on January30th last.
But she denied seeing the brawl leading to the horrific knife attack which left Mr McCartney (33) dying on the street outside. Ms Hargey (23) is a community development worker who is due to stand in May's local government elections.
Ms Hargey, who has given a statement to her lawyer, insisted: "I did not witness the fracas in the bar, or the incident outside the bar."
It emerged yesterday that Cora Groogan, who stood in Mid-Ulster alongside Martin McGuinness in the November 2003 Assembly election, was present in Magennis's bar on the night but said that she had seen nothing.
A statement had been prepared through her solicitor and passed to the Police Ombudsman, Nuala O'Loan.
Ms Groogan claimed she got to the bar about 10pm that Sunday. "I was there for a short while. There was a commotion in the bar, but I witnessed nothing and left shortly after 11pm. I have given a full statement to my solicitor."
Sinn Féin senior negotiator, North Belfast MLA Gerry Kelly said yesterday that any members with information on the murder have been instructed to come forward and give an honest and full account.
"I understand that a number of party members have given statements to their solicitor with the instruction that they be forwarded to the Police Ombudsman," he said.