Man let out on bail in Derry barbecue murder probe

One of two men arrested by detectives investigating the sectarian killing of a popular civil servant in Northern Ireland has been released on bail.

Police said a 36-year-old questioned about the murder of Paul McCauley in 2006 has been released pending further inquiries.

A 28-year-old man remains in custody.

The two suspects were detained on Thursday in Derry and Coleraine on suspicion of murder and the attempted murder of two other men injured in the attack

Mr McCauley, a 38-year-old Catholic, spent almost a decade in a vegetative state after he was attacked by loyalists at a barbecue in the Waterside area of Derry in July 2006.

He died in a care home last month.

A 27-year-old woman arrested in Derry earlier this week on suspicion of withholding information was released on Thursday night pending further inquiries

Police stepped up their investigation into the attack following Mr McCauley’s death.

The father-of-one was 29 when he attended the barbecue for a friend who was moving away from Northern Ireland.

A gang of up to 15 people emerged from nearby bushes and attacked him and two friends as they were clearing up after the meal in the early hours of the morning. He suffered severe head injuries.

Mr McCauley’s family has pursued a long campaign for justice.

Piper John McClements, 24, previously known as Daryl Proctor, from the Fountain area of the city, was charged last week with Mr McCauley’s murder.