Seven men arrested over 1987 rape and murder released

Seven men arrested in connection with the rape and murder of a young mum thirty years ago, have all been released.

PSNI
Published 1st Jun 2017
Last updated 1st Jun 2017

Lorraine McCausland's body was found in North Belfast on 8 March 1987.

On Thursday, two men aged 54 and 56 were arrested in Belfast and two men aged 53 and 59 were arrested in Antrim.

Meanwhile three other men were arrested in England and Scotland yesterday.

Detectives detained two men, aged 49 and 56, in Scotland and another suspect, aged 53, in England.

The three men were brought to Northern Ireland for questioning.

The 23-year-old had been for a night out and was last seen in a nearby loyalist club at Tyndale.

The case was reopened last year after detectives identified "potential new lines of inquiry''.

Fourteen arrests were made during the original police investigation but no one was charged.

Members of the paramilitary Ulster Defence Association were suspected of killing Ms McCausland.

Police believe witnesses have long been fearful of coming forward due to the involvement of the violent group.

Ms McCausland's son, Craig, was murdered in north Belfast in 2005 during a spate of killings linked to a loyalist paramilitary feud.