19/01/2016 BBC Newsline

Three people are being questioned about the murder of a man whose body

was found by the police by chance at his home in Newtownabbey.

Eddie Girvan was 67 and the father of two children.

The police say he had suffered a painful and violence death.

A murder investigation at the home of the pensioner who lived alone

His body was found in the living room.

The victim was on a chair, stabbed in the chest,

The last time he was seen alive was Sunday afternoon

The police are now trying to find out more information

The sequence of events leading to the discovery of the body

last night began during a routine police

We can't get any more details about that operation but we know

that it led police officers to come to Mr Gervin's

home where his body was found

Shortly afterwards, neighbours told the blues that his car

The police came to the house and discovered his body.

The police were conducting enquiries relating to an individual

from Belfast and those enquiries led us to call routinely to the house.

We were unaware at that time that Mr Gervin had been murdered.

The police have now established that Eddie Girvan's car was seen

being driven dangerously along the mortorway between Rathcoole

and Belfast after 7.00am yesterday morning.

It was found at Verner Street in Belfast in the early hours

Tonight, the police were also carrying out investigations here.

Meanwhile, in Greenisland, the community is still trying

to come to terms with murder in it's midst.

This is an area that looks after its elderly.

The like of this has not been seen in this area before.

Tonight, two crime scenes are under investigation as the police

try to find out why Eddie Girvan died and who killed him.

Earlier tonight, our reporter Claire Graham spoke

to the East Antrim MLA Stewart Dickson.

Eddie has been known to me for all of my life. And when the primary

school together, he was in the Boys' Brigade with me. I have known him

living here in Greenisland all of that time. Always a very helpful,

friendly person. Someone who would have gone the extra mile to help

people, doing odd jobs. He was always willing when somebody needed

something done in their home, a repair job at something like that.

Eddie was always there to help out. He is someone for whom who I would

have good memories. High is the community today? I know that there

are many people in Greenisland, not only his immediate neighbours after

this incredibly sad and difficult circumstance for people to

understand in the last number of hours, in this community Eddie

Girvan is somebody that will be remembered because of the kind deeds

that he did and the friend that he was to many people.

The Deputy First Minister, Martin McGuinness, has agreed,

in principle, to appear as a witness at an inquest into the death

of an IRA man who was shot dead by the army.

Seamus Bradley was killed in the Creggan in Londonderry

in July 1972, during what was called Operation Motorman.

In another incident on the same day, a 15-year-old schoolboy was also

Seamus Bradley's case is one of 56 that are being reviewed

Our reporter Ita Dungan was in the court.

It was the summer of 1972 and the British Army were moving

The army's mission was to secure what were known as "no-go areas".

By the end of the day two people were dead -

19-year-old Seamus Bradley and 15-year-old Daniel Hegarty.

44 years on, a review into the death of Seamus Bradley took place

Lord Justice Weir is assessing how much more work needs to be done

before a full scale inquest can go ahead.

What is very much part of that jigsaw is what were the IRA in Derry

In order to find out, the Coroner's Office wrote

to Martin McGuinness and Gerry Adams.

In 2001, Mr McGuinness told the Bloody Sunday Inquiry

that he was second in command of the IRA in Derry at the time.

What this inquest is trying to find out is whether or not the meeting

took place between members of the British government

They want to know if that meeting took place, what may or may not have

been said and whether or not the IRA is to decide their operations

In response to that request, Martin McGuinness' solicitor

appeared at today's hearing promising Mr McGuinness' full

It will take the form of the statement, and we will decide F

it'll be a witness statement. Do you think it is likely that

Martin McGuinness will appear That is a matter for

the coroner to determine. Certainly Martin McGuinness has made

it clear he will cooperate Giving an update on the MoD's

readiness to proceed with the inquest, the army's legal

representative said the MoD "could not locate any

records of such a meeting." Going on to say they would now

check, "the National Archives to see In response, Lord Justice Weir said,

"We all know there were meetings Gerry Kelly may be asked to give

evidence into the inquest of the killing of Gareth O'Connor,

the dissident Republican, in 2003. His family claimed that Mr Kelly

told them that they that he had spoken to the Provisional IRA

about the killing and was told Family and friends of the teenager

who died in a fire at the weekend gathered at her funeral

in Castlewellan earlier today. 18-year-old Ellen Finnegan lived

in a flat above her father's shop. Castlewellan fell silent to remember

a beloved member of the community. Ellen Finnegan lived

and died in the flat Today, Bartley Finnegan walked

behind his daughter to Requiem Mass at St Malachy's Church,

accompanied by schoolfriends from Assumption Grammar

in Ballynahinch and team mates During the service she was

remembered as bright, vivacious, talented,

full of hope and already making I know how Bartley cherishes

the last conversation he had I believe it is a special

grace for you, Bartley, She wished you a good holiday

and added, "I love you, Afterwards, Ellen was taken

through the town before being laid to rest at the family burial

ground in Aughlisnafin. Belfast City Council has this

evening given planning permission for more than 1,000 student

apartments opposite the Ulster University's new campus

on the northern edge The larger of the projects consists

of nearly 600 en suite bedrooms Our Economics and Business Editor,

John Campbell, was at Belfast City These two developments at graduation

sites on your Street and great Patrick Street just opposite the new

Ulster University campus. They will house more than a thousand students

when completed and they will not be the last of the sorts of

applications to be considered. In fact, there are 11 applications

currently in the system which could give a few thousand student rooms.

Some believe that could lead to oversupply. One developer said that

even if every scheme is approved it would only bring Belfast up to the

standard of other UK university cities. If Belfast went ahead with

all 16 projects and planning at the moment, that would give Belfast 23%

of student accommodation which was managed student accommodation as a

total of the whole student population. It would still be way

behind other UK cities and they don't see Belfast really being any

different than any other UK cities. The new University campus should be

fully operational in 28 team, so developers will want to begin work

shortly. I understand building work to get underway during the summer.

Meanwhile, planning permission has also been granted

for the development of two more hotels in Belfast city centre.

An extension of the Ten Square Hotel on the corner of Linenhall Street

and Donegall Square South will create an additional 46 rooms,

while a 179-bedroom new build hotel in Hope Street has also been given

Garda have identified the man whose body found in a suitcase

in the Grand Canal in County Kildare.

Kenneth O'Brien was 33-years-old and from Clondalkin in West Dublin.

It is believed he went missing on Friday.

The suitcase was spotted in the water by two people walking

along the canal bank near Ardclough Bridge on Saturday.

Kenneth O'Brien was a normal man going about his business, pursuing

his employment, trying to get some work and he has been brutally

murdered. Blackmailers have targeted several

men here who were encouraged to perform sex acts

over the internet. The criminals recorded them

and threatened to publish the videos on social media if the men didn't

pay money into an account in West The police say some

of them paid the money. There's an interview with the police

on Good Morning Ulster on BBC Radio Ulster

just after 8.30am. Football and the Irish Cup holders,

Glentoran, are through to the next round of the competition

after beating Ards 4-1.The night belonged to Glentoran's recent

signing Chris Lavery, who collected the match ball

after scoring a hat-trick in a game In tonight's other Fifth Round tie,

Knockbreda beat Annagh United 5-1. In the Premiership, Ballymena United

beat Carrick Rangers 1-0 and Warrenpoint Town

beat Portadown 2-0. Now, with the weather

forecast, here's Barra Best. It is a largely dry night to come

with a lot of cloud. That cloud will help many places they above

freezing. Whether cloud does break there will be ice and pockets of fog

developing. The fault could be thick in the south. Further north it

should not be too much of a problem. A foggy staff are some of us but

overwrought tomorrow it will be largely dry. Any fog should give

away to clearer conditions through the morning, but before then it

could cause some issues on the road for drivers during the commuter

period. Otherwise, it is not a bad day across Britain and Ireland.

Largely dried, chilly for some parts after a clear sky night, but through

the afternoon many places will enjoy sunshine. Across Ireland, we have

milder air, so temperatures should reach seven or eight degrees. The

wind should be light, but to feel fresh and the County Down coast.

Tomorrow evening, we hold on the clearer skies would will turn chilly

for a while, but overnight in the clearer skies would will turn chilly

for a while, but overnight in the weather stayed the cloud will

thicken up, bringing wet weather, those temperatures above the normal

for the time of year. It will be wetter times over the weekend, but

they they temperatures