Arrested man under guard at hospital

A MAN arrested in Donegal over the murder of a mother of four in the north remains under guard at a Sligo hospital.

Stephen Cahoon, 36, was detained in Donegal town and taken to Ballyshannon on Tuesday evening to be questioned about the murder across the border in Derry last month.

Before he could be interviewed he complained of feeling unwell and was taken to a local hospital.

The Police Service of Northern Ireland had been seeking Mr Cahoon for questioning since Jean Quigley was murdered at her home in the Shantallow area of Derry on July 26.

The 30-year-old woman, who was two months pregnant when she died, was beaten to death in her home.

Mr Cahoon, who was believed to have been in contact with her in recent weeks, was swiftly identified as a prime suspect.

Gardaí were co-operating with the PSNI on the hunt when Mr Cahoon was found and arrested.

A Garda spokesman said: “He complained of an illness and asked to be taken to hospital and he was taken.”

The spokesman said the suspect was being held under police guard and added: “We have no idea how long he will be in hospital.”

Once the suspect is well enough to be questioned, gardaí will have 24 hours in which to charge or release him.

Because he was taken ill last night the clock has not yet started counting down.

Whether he would be extradited back to the North to stand trial remains unclear. Under co-operative legislation between north and south an accused can elect to be tried in the jurisdiction where arrested rather than where the crime was committed.