Man questioned about Nelson charged with pipe-bomb murder

A 32-year-old man has appeared in court charged with the murder of a Protestant woman killed in a pipe bomb attack.

A 32-year-old man has appeared in court charged with the murder of a Protestant woman killed in a pipe bomb attack.

Mr William James Fulton was charged with the murder of 59-year-old Ms Elizabeth O'Neill, of Corcrain Drive, Portadown, on June 5th 1999.He also faced six charges of attempted murder - four of them relating to police officers - and two offences of causing explosions in 1998 and 1999.

Mr Fulton was remanded in custody to appear before Craigavon Court on July 10th when he appeared in court yesterday.

Mrs O'Neill, a Protestant married to a Catholic, was watching television when a brick was thrown through her living room window and a pipe bomb thrown inside.It is believed she tried to pick up the device to throw it out of the house when it exploded.

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There were other similar attacks in the area that night.

Mr Fulton was arrested in Plymouth earlier this week and flown to Gough Barracks in Armagh to be questioned by detectives investigating the killing of human rights lawyer Ms Rosemary Nelson in March 1999.

An investigation headed by Mr Colin Port, the deputy chief constable of Norfolk Police, was set up after Mrs Nelson was killed in a car bomb outside her home in Lurgan, Co Armagh.

Renegade loyalist paramilitaries were blamed for Mrs Nelson's murder.Norfolk Police said two men arrested in Portadown by the Port inquiry team on Thursday had been released pending further inquiries.

PA