Man charged with Ulster death of 16-year-old boy

A 26-year-old man was remanded in custody yesterday accused of killing a teenager whose body was found buried on farmland in Ulster.

Norman James Coopey from Newcastle, County Down, was charged at a special sitting at Downpatrick, also in County Down, with murdering 16-year-old James Morgan from Castlewellan on Thursday. The teenager's body was found after a three-day RUC search of farmland at Clough. A detective inspector told the court that when charged, Mr Coopey replied: "No."

A defence solicitor asked the detective if he could confirm whether police have come to the view that the alleged offence had any sectarian nature. The detective replied: "We are pursuing all lines of inquiry and we are not ruling out that possibility." Mr Coopey was remanded in custody to appear in court again on 13 August.