Two women appear in court in connection with Odhrán Kelly's Lurgan murder

Two women have appeared in court accused of assisting in the murder of Odhrán Kelly by helping to dispose of his body.

With grieving relatives and friends watching proceedings online and in the public gallery at Lisburn Magistrates' Court, 36-year-old Stephanie McClelland and 43-year-old Andrea Stevenson confirmed they understood the single charge they jointly face.

Lurgan women McClelland, from Shan Slieve and Stevenson, from Edward Street, are accused that knowing another person had committed murder, they assisted that offender to impede that person's apprehension, prosecution or detention on 3 December this year by “disposing of the body of Odhrán Kelly”.

The body of 23-year-old Mr Kelly was found beside a burning car in Maple Court in Lurgan in the early hours of Sunday.

His death is not believed to be linked to organised crime, police have said.

Forensic teams and police officers have been at the scene since Sunday and a police cordon is still in place around a block of flats and a nearby green space where a car was found burnt out.

Two 31-year-old men are currently in police custody on suspicion of murder.

In court, a detective superintendent told the court he believed he could connect both women to the charges.

Their defence lawyers confirmed that although not applying for bail on Thursday they both intended to lodge applications for bail next week and asked for the case to be adjourned to 15 December.

That was granted by District Judge Rosie Watters who remanded the pair into custody to appear at Craigavon Magistrates' Court next Friday.

As the pair were taken to the cells a woman online shouted at them.

The judge commented that while the proceedings may be distressing for Mr Kelly’s friends and family and she understood why they may not want to physically be in court, “they must understand that this is a court and must act respectfully”.

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